


Finding Love in a Denny's Parking Lot

by anothersadplanet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blow Jobs, Blow Jobs in a Car, Breeding Kink, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Homelessness, I added the underage tag just for flashback sequences, Light Angst, M/M, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Pining, No actual Mpreg tho, Omega Keith (Voltron), Platonic Heat Sharing, Prostitute Keith, Side Keith/OMC, Side Keith/Thace, Size Kink, Trans Keith (Voltron), Walking In On Someone, Werewolf Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:21:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersadplanet/pseuds/anothersadplanet
Summary: Keith has made do since high school and his only friends moved off to college, but making do as a homeless werewolf only gives you so many options. Shiro is working at a local Denny's after dropping out of school, forced to come home after a traumatic event to try and pick up the pieces of his life. Life didn’t go the way they thought it would, but the universe has a way of working things out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Characters depicted are at least 18 years of age (except for the flashbacks, I've flubbed their ages so it makes sense for them to have gone to high school together).

_Hmm, if I save up this $150 on top of the next payment I get, then maybe I can finally get my windshield fixed… or I can finally replace my shitty leather coat… or… I can have some pancakes for dinner…_

“Mm, fuck, that’s it bitch, y-yeah just like that, take my cock…”

Keith rolled his eyes at cringingly bad dialogue from the john currently balls deep in his ass. He preferred to let his mind drift to more important things while this guy had been taking his time to get off. He seemed content to just rapidly pound Keith’s hole in a way that definitely didn’t do Keith any favors. His hole was getting sore from this guy just rutting in him, maybe _s_ _omeday_  he’d like to finish and leave Keith alone.

Rolling his eyes, Keith let out a high pitched (definitely not fake, don’t you even worry) moan, “Your cock feels so good, sir, please come for me!”

Keith could barely contain his eye-roll at his own dumb dialogue, but he was _#done_  with this man and wanted to grab some pancakes. It seemed to do the trick as the john stilled with his thrusting and let out a very unappealing groan as he came into the condom. Without so much as a thanks, the john pulled out and zipped up his pants, sauntering away like he’d just shown Keith the time of his _l_ _ife_.

_Hah. As if._

Pulling up his pants, Keith grimaced as he picked up the used condom the guy saw fit to just toss on the ground without even tying it closed. _God, was he raised in a barn?_  At least the dumpster was right next to him in the alley. _Bastard couldn’t even throw the condom in the fucking dumpster fucking degenerate, it only takes you an extra two seconds._  Keith quickly wiped his hand off on his jeans and walked away from the dimly lit back door of the Denny’s.

\----------

Keith shivered as he made his way over to his lovingly well-worn 90’s Oldsmobile parked inconspicuously in the empty lot behind the Denny’s. Heaving himself into the driver’s seat, Keith separated a 50 out of the $150 he’d just made into his wallet. He placed the rest of it in the locked box he kept under the passenger seat. _Fuck it, I’m gettin’ pancakes_.

It was dark out tonight, the moon high overhead obscured by dark clouds, and the parking lot of the 24-hour Denny’s was dim and uninviting. The week had been rough, raining buckets every day and fewer guys looking to pay for a good time because of it. But he rarely ate at the Denny’s he “worked” outside of, so it was a treat.

Since it was almost 3 in the morning, the Denny’s was nearly empty save for a few haggard looking people sitting at the bar sipping coffee. They all looked over at Keith as he entered, giving him a look he _didn’t_  like before turning back to themselves. _That’s right, look away assholes_. The lights inside were garish compared to the dimness of the parking lot, and it was quiet save for the low hum of music Keith could barely hear and the quiet mumblings of the men at the bar.

The near-silence was broken by an obnoxiously energetic host beelining straight to Keith. “Here I come! Here I come! Don’t worry, here I am! Just one on this fine evening-slash-morning?”

Keith grimaced and nodded, following the host as he led him over to a booth.

“Another night owl, huh? Or, a night _wolf_  I suppose, haha!” He shot Keith a cheesy smirk over his shoulder. Keith didn’t like this guy already. He slumped into the cushy-but-not-too-comfy leather seat and took the menu, trying to ignore the guy.

 _Fuck it, if I’m gonna treat myself, I might as well treat myself all the way_. Keith pointed to a picture on the menu, pancakes covered in bananas and nuts and other stuff that sounded disgusting and yet delicious. He was determined to talk to this guy as little as possible.

“Ah, that’s one of my faves!”

 _Great, I didn’t ask_.

“I heard lotsa sugar and carbs are good for recovering from a full moon, or so they say, hahaha!”

Keith raised his eyebrow at him, trying to give him his best _what is your fucking deal_  look, thrusting the menu at the host square in the stomach before finally opening his mouth, “and a coffee.”

“( _ow what the fuck_ ) One coffee coming up! Oh, my name is Lance,” _Lance_  motioned to his nametag which read ‘Lance’ with a hand-drawn winking smiley face, “so if you need anything, just let me know! Even if it’s a milk bone!”

Lance squirreled away before Keith could deck him. Keith wasn’t sure what he hated more: the fact some stranger could immediately sight him as a werewolf, or that this guy used this knowledge to make _terrible_  dog puns. _Whatever, at least he wasn’t a dick about it_.

Odds are, if someone could immediately tell he was a werewolf on the spot, they were some kind of freak _too_  and wouldn’t give him shit about it. But Keith didn’t like anyone trying to pay him too much attention. He _especially_  didn’t want some random employee at the Denny’s knowing what he tended to do next to their dumpster. Or that he lived out of his car in the empty lot next door. Keith just didn’t want anyone to know shit about him.

Lance returned with coffee, offering up little cream cups with a bad joke about “cream in your coffee?” that Keith ignored.

At least this guy Lance seemed to be pretty harmless, probably just content to have thrown Keith through a loop by calling him out on the spot. He seemed like the kind of guy who got off on catching people off guard and making bad jokes about them. Keith looked over his shoulder to where the guy was sitting in one of the large booths with a spread of textbooks and papers and a look of absolute loss on his face.

_Ah, a student then. This guy must be fucking insane if he is going to school and working graveyard shifts._

A pang of jealousy ran through Keith as he turned away from the guy and mindlessly fiddled with one of the sugar packets. He’d always wanted to go to college but life just hadn’t worked out that way for him so far. After aging out of the system and barely graduating high school, Keith didn’t have the money or time to even apply to the community college that was practically down the street from the Denny’s. He didn’t even have the money for a place to live.

_Whatever. It doesn’t do any good to regret how things had gone in the past. I just have to keep moving forward. I don’t even know what I’d want to go to school for._

That was a lie. He wanted to study astronomy, astrophysics, or theoretical physics. Always had. The idea that there’s so much more to existence than what’s going on here on Earth, just how _much_  of the known universe humans don’t understand… Keith just wanted out of here. He’d always known he wanted that, too. The world had never made him feel like he was welcome. Being born a werewolf, becoming orphaned, finding out he was queer. There had never been a time where he felt at home somewhere, where he felt like he belonged, or he felt that people actually _cared_.

People don’t stay. Keith knew this now. Back in high school, he’d been naive and hopeful enough to hope that someone would care about him, miss him when he was gone. He’d gotten close, once… but like everything, it didn’t last long. Even _he_ … he’d left Keith too.

\----------

An hour and a full stomach later Keith made his way back to his car. He was exhausted despite the coffee and couldn’t wait to curl up under a thick blanket and black out. He was walking around the back of the Denny’s to the empty lot, pulling his keys out of his pocket when a loud * _bang_ * startled him into dropping them onto the ground.

Keith looked around, heart pounding in a sudden panic at the noise before realizing the sound was merely an employee throwing trash into the same dumpster Keith had disposed of the condom in. He grimaced as he picked up his keys, looking again at the employee heaving giant bags of trash into the dumpster almost effortlessly.

Done with his task the man leaned against the dumpster to pull out his phone before looking up at Keith, having previously been unaware of his presence. The man threw a hand up in a wave and from the glow of the phone screen, Keith could make out a smile carved on attractive-enough features, a shock of white hair. Keith merely threw his hand up in a stiff wave before continuing his walk, shivering in the cold breeze.

Luckily for Keith, the man went back inside the building before he made it over to his car. It was out of the way enough of the parking lot lights to be hidden but still visible from the back door. Keith didn’t want this guy getting suspicious that he parked and slept here or he’d have to move and _dammit_  he didn’t want to just yet.

Climbing into the backseat of his car, Keith awkwardly pulled off his pants and replaced them with sweats. He grabbed the thick, dark blanket draped over the items in his trunk and wrapped it around himself, curling into an as-comfortable-as-possible ball on the back seat. The inside of the car was still very cold, but the cocoon he made quickly warmed him up as he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind so he could sleep.

_God I hope my Tuesday regular shows up this week, I could really use that $300. Maybe get a motel room for a couple of days. Fuck when was the last time I slept on a proper bed… Ugh, shit and I gotta get more heat suppressants, I’m almost out again… Wonder if I’ll ever save up enough to go back to school…_

 

* * *

 

The sun rose slowly over the Denny’s parking lot as if it would rather leave the 24-hour diner in absolute darkness. Daylight and Denny’s just don’t mix. It was still too early in the year for the sun to rise at a reasonable time, just now poking up at half past eight in the morning. Shiro sighed as he finished balancing the till, simultaneously glad his shift was over so he could go home and disappointed that this is what his life has come to.

Shiro slammed the till drawer shut and made his way to the back to collect the trash bags and take them out to the dumpster outside. It’d been a relatively slow night and Shiro was drained and exhausted. At least there wasn’t as much trash to take out, just two small bags to heave up in the dumpster.

As he closed the dumpster lid, or as much as he could now that it was two bags over capacity, Shiro noticed a car in the empty lot. The same one from last night? It definitely wasn’t Lance’s or the night cook Hunk’s. He did see that guy walking in that direction last night, maybe his car broke down or something? _Whatever, people leave cars places all the time, it doesn’t matter_.

Shiro clocked out and shuffled to his car where he was Lance unchaining his bike to head home as well. With a quick wave goodbye, Shiro got into his car, thankful that it was only a few minutes drive home. Trees and buildings passed Shiro by as he tried not to nod off to sleep at the wheel, almost missing the turn into his apartment complex.

As Shiro took off his shoes in the entryway, he pulled out his phone and speed-dialed his grandfather. He was staying at an assisted living home and Shiro spent all of his free time with him, helping him out with various things.

His grandfather’s voice interrupted the dial-tone, even though it was early in the morning he’d clearly been awake for a few hours, “How was work?”  

“Same old, same old. Still convinced Denny’s is a timeless purgatory I’m forced to suffer through for some misdeed I’ve done. How are you doing? Need me to get anything for you or anything?”

“Just for you to get some rest. I’m not an _invalid_ , Takashi.”

“I know, grandfather, just checking. Anyway, yeah I’m going to go crawl into bed, I’ll call you later. Love you.”

Shiro made his way down the hall to his room, quickly changing out of his grimy work clothes and into comfy sweats and a tank top. He eased his prosthetic arm off, gently placing it on his side table. Now he could finally sink down into his bed and be left alone with _all of his wonderful thoughts and stressors_. His brain immediately went for what was easiest:

_What the hell am I doing with my life?_

_I can’t believe there’s no better job than a manager at the fucking Denny’s in this bumfuck town. I had to drop out of university for this. To work at a Denny’s._

_No. I had to come back to help my grandfather. I don’t know what I’d do if he took another fall like that last one. I shouldn’t have gone out of state for university anyway, I can’t just leave_ family _alone like that. If I’d never gone to university… I might still have my fucking arm._

Shiro rolled onto his side, chest seizing and shiver running down his spine at the fragmented memory. _God, I can’t think about that now_. But his brain wasn’t listening, going back to that night he stumbled drunkenly out of the Zeta Phi house party...

 _It was the first party he’d gone to, really the first time he hung out with people since going to university, and he got_  smashed _. It was only when Shiro realized he’d have to be awake in a few hours for class when he decided to stumble back to his dorm._

Around here, Shiro’s memories of that night got fuzzy. The row of fraternity houses was backed onto a small patch of woods that Shiro couldn’t remember for the life of him veering into. It wasn’t until the street lights were distant speckles in the boughs that Shiro realized he was lost, confused, panicked.

 _Shiro didn’t know why, but he was frightened_. He was being followed. _He didn’t know how he knew this, but panic and fear filled his chest as he tried to move quicker, tripping over his feet and heaving panicked breaths._

Shiro’s breathing increased, panic bubbling in his chest now as his brain wouldn’t stop spiraling.

 _Suddenly there was growling, or was it laughing? A terrible noise that made Shiro run faster, only to trip over underbrush and land face first into_ mud _. The next thing he could remember was a pressure on his back, heavy and crushing. Sharp nails poking into his flesh like needles._

_Shiro was able to heave the pressure off of him, struggling up to his feet when something pulled at his hand, yanking his arm back. It was wet, hot and made Shiro’s hand numb with pain, like thousands of needles were digging around into his flesh. His hands had previously been cold in the October night, but now his right hand was warm as his blood flowed freely from it._

_Shiro couldn’t remember much besides the pain. The sound of bones crunching and flesh tearing, the same red-hot pain slashing across his face. At some point he was able to run away, leaving behind the sounds of teeth gnawing on_ bone _that Shiro couldn’t recognize yet as the sound of his arm being eaten._

Shiro threw the duvet off his body quickly and made his way to the bathroom, ignoring the numbness of where his arm _should be_. He turned on the tap and splashed his face with cold water, trying to ground himself in the _now_. He was okay he was okay _he was okay_. Cold water dripped off his face as he tried to focus the sensation, tried to focus on how cold the bathroom tile was under his feet. Tried imagining his feet connecting with the earth below, grounding him and rooting him where he was.

Shiro’s bed was cold when he returned to it, he grabbed his phone and pulling up a youtube video to try and distract himself. But five minutes in, his brain was still buzzing. They’d never been caught, whoever they were. There had been at least two of them. When he’d given his statement to the cops they told him it was most likely a werewolf. Shiro knew it must have been but… he’d really hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

The light from Shiro’s phone was glaring in the dark room, though the sound was low and dull. He was barely paying attention anymore, thinking instead about the first werewolf he’d met. Or, well, the first one he’d _known_  about.

Shiro smiled, remembering those days. Some of the residual fear calming down, soothed by happier memories. He’d just started his senior year of high school when he met the kid. _I think it was during lunch that first week of school…_

 _Shiro liked to use lunch periods to walk around with his headphones in, but raised voices behind the gym made him curious. People didn’t normally hang out_  here. _Pocketing his headphones, Shiro made his way through the gravel as quietly as he could as the cause for heated words became more apparent._

 _“Freaks like you should be fucking caged up, your kind_ are _a danger to our society!”_

 _“I can’t believe this school allows fucking_  dogs _in, my parents will be furious.”_

_‘Dogs’? Shiro peered around the corner of the gym where the confrontation was happening. There were two kids ganging up on another, the lone kid there looked like he couldn’t care less what these guys were saying. His demeanor told Shiro he’d heard all of this and more and was not going to be intimidated._

_“‘Dog’? Really? That’s really the best you got, huh?”_

_The kid had shaggy black hair and though he put off an air of complete disinterest, Shiro could tell there was a fire in those eyes. He knew that look, the look of someone who was completely capable of fighting his own battles and had_  fought _enough of them in his short life. But was smart enough to pick which battles to avoid. The kid made eye contact with Shiro as he stepped around the corner of the building._

 _“Oh, nice, three against one now. You guys are_  real _tough.”_

 _The boys looked at each other in confusion before turning around and noticing Shiro. He only vaguely recognized them, asshole juniors, but of_ course _they knew_  him. _Everyone at school knew him, the valedictorian, the fastest runner on the track team and regional wrestling champion. He gave them a wave._

_“What’s goin’ on guys?_

_One of the bullies looked like he wanted to bolt but the other spoke up before he could, “You know we got us a certified_  werewolf _on campus?”_

_Shiro looked over at the ‘certified werewolf’ who just shrugged at him, Shiro looked back at the bully who spoke. “I mean, the principal made an announcement, so…?”_

_“So what if he loses control right now and kills one of us?!”_

_In the corner of his eye, Shiro could see the ‘certified werewolf’ rolling his eyes. Shiro crossed his arms, unimpressed at these asshole kids. Only ignorant assholes thought like this, anyone educated knew werewolves could control their shifts. Shiro shrugged, “Then maybe you’d better run? Before you become werewolf chow.”_

_They didn’t look too impressed with that, these kids were just assholes they weren’t_ afraid _of the werewolf kid_.

_“Okay, how about this, you wanna pick a fight? We’ll at least have it be even, two on two,” Shiro dropped his bag with a loud thump and cracked his knuckles. It felt ridiculous, but he knew he could be intimidating. Especially against spineless losers. The two assholes looked at each other weighing their options, before backing out._

_“Whatever, god we were just joking around,” they mumbled before running off like frightened chickens._

_“I’m just gonna say if you wanna pick up where they left off you_  need _to have more inventive material. Or just pull out your fists so we can really settle this,” The boy tensed as Shiro stepped closer, clearly more uncertain about taking on Shiro than he was the other two boys. Shiro merely laughed, looking after where the bullies had run off and back to the kid._

_“Naw, I don’t know if I can even top Humpty and Dumpty, they kinda took all the best material."_

The guy scoffed a laugh but continued to look at Shiro with apprehension.

_“You really a werewolf?”_

_He nodded, face guarded._

_“Ah, must be a freshman too, pretty shitty introduction to the school. Well… the school’s pretty shit itself, so I guess it’s an apt introduction. My name’s Shiro, by the way. I mean, people call me Shiro, anyway,” Shiro held out a hand, unsure why his stomach felt as if it was full of butterflies as he waited for the kid to either introduce himself or tell him to fuck off. He just smirked as he slapped his hand into Shiro’s in the most aggressive handshake he’s ever had._

_“Name’s Keith. Some people call me ‘dog’ but if you even think of doing that I’ll rip your tongue out.”_

_Keith’s tone was serious but his eyes were smiling, and as Shiro pulled his hand back he noticed the giddy feeling in his stomach intensifying._

Shiro had a smile on his face as he passed into unconsciousness. He wouldn’t notice until the next morning, but he didn’t have any nightmares that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith woke up to his 6 am alarm cold and sore, his body angry at sleeping in such a cramped space. Today was Tuesday, which meant one of his regulars would be coming by around 1 pm, assuming he showed. This guy always paid Keith extra for some… bonus services that Keith eagerly took the extra money for. Sitting up in the back seat Keith yawned and stretched, his muscles sore and bones cracking, getting a whiff of his sweaty armpits. _Shit, I really should bathe before he comes over_.

Keith mastered the art of changing clothes in the car long ago, quickly changing from his comfy sleeping pants into jeans and hopping out to the driver’s seat. Even though the gym was on the other side of town, it was still only a ten-ish minute drive away. It was a quiet morning, few cars out on the road and heavy cloud cover. _Maybe it’ll rain again today_. Keith enjoyed the short drive, the classic rock radio station just loud enough for Keith to hear but quiet enough to not disrupt his thoughts.

The gym parking lot was mostly sparse when Keith arrived, only a few people at the gym early on a Tuesday morning. He’d lucked out when he came to this gym for the first time, the person working the front desk was the kid-sibling of a friend of a friend of Keith’s from high school. They preferred to be called “Pidge” and they had been excited to see Keith, even giving him a discount on a gym membership that Keith _very much_  appreciated.

Keith saw Pidge was at the front desk as usual, idly looking at their phone and nursing a thermos of coffee. They perked when they spotted him, “Heyoo! How’s it hangin’, Keith?”

Keith internally winced at how loud they were, he was always in a constant state of paranoid anxiety, not wanting attention drawn to him. “Same old, same old. How’s school treating you?”

Pidge groaned, grabbing their hair in fists, “Ugh, don’t even _ask_. I get enough of that kinda talk at home.”

Keith hesitated before asking, “How is your family, how’s Matt doing?” _Has he heard from Shiro at all?_

No one had to know he only asked after Matt on the odd chance there’d be any info on Shiro.

Pidge leaned forward, “He’s gonna be coming back for spring break, you should come over for dinner when he’s here! I mean, mom and dad would gladly have you over for dinner whenever.”

Keith gave a small smile. He and Shiro used to go over to Matt’s house after school all the time, shutting away in Matt’s room playing video games. Pidge always trying to get involved, Matt yelling at them to go play outside until their parents made Matt let Pidge join. Maybe he should go over to their house for dinner soon, it’d been years since he’d seen the Holts, and a free dinner was always nice.

“I’ll have to take you up on that offer some time. And let me know when he’s in town, it’d be nice to say hi.”

Before the conversation could get too nostalgic, Keith pushed into the locker rooms. He missed those friends, that _one_  good year of high school. He had only become friends with Matt because he was Shiro’s best friend, but they still got along really well. It was impossible to _not_  like Matt, really. Or Shiro.

When Keith had started high school it was his first time in the district so he didn’t know _anyone_ , and because of regulations he had to disclose to the school that he was a werewolf. This meant absolutely everyone knew there was a werewolf on campus, and him being one of the only new kids in the whole district, there wasn’t any being coy about it.

Keith plopped his bag on a bench, pulling out a towel, body wash, and shampoo. After quickly undressing, he hung the towel up on a hook right outside the showers and picked his usual shower stall. The water started too cold, making Keith shiver as he waited for it to heat up.

Shiro had never minded that Keith was a werewolf. Due to the circumstances of how they met, it was the first thing Shiro knew about him. Keith never understood why the older boy decided to befriend him, latching onto him as a constant presence in his school life until just had to accept that they were friends. He had never had a friend as close as Shiro became, someone he felt he could entrust anything too. The only problem was, Shiro was a senior, him and Matt. They’d both graduated after Keith’s first year, and to salt the wound, they both went out of state for university.

Keith understood, the university they went to had an amazing astronomy program, which both boys wanted to pursue. But after promises of keeping in touch and the assurances that they would remain friends… it made the silence manifest a physical pain in Keith. It’d been _years_  and he’d never heard from Shiro, hadn’t seen him since the end of that summer when they’d said their goodbyes.

 _Guess he changed his mind_.

Keith turned off the shower, content that he didn’t smell like days old sweat anymore. He was ready to get on with the day.

\----------

Keith’s favorite Tuesday usual, ‘Thace’ as he had Keith call him, showed up at the usual time and Keith breathed a sigh of relief. Well, he imagined he did. He was just relieved to have the extra $300 that Thace always paid.

Thace rolled down his window with his usual charming smile and Keith gave him an endearing smirk in return. “How’ve you been, darling?”

Damn, Keith always forgot how nice Thace’s voice was. Low and deep, soft but a little bit commanding. He was also tall and well-built, hiding muscles under expensive dress shirts, banging cheekbones, and a tasteful goatee that somehow _worked_  on him. Thace was just exactly Keith’s type. Keith sauntered over to the car, resting an arm over the top of the window and jutting his hip out. “Oh, you know, _working_  mostly. I’m so glad to see you today, hun.”

Thace chuckled lowly and motioned to the passenger’s seat. Keith went around the front of the car and hopped in, pulling the door closed behind him, Keith’s money on the dashboard in front of him. The first time Keith had ever gotten into Thace’s car, it was most definitely a bad idea. Keith made a lot of bad decisions in the beginning. But he didn’t end up dead and Thace actually paid him (and tipped very well) and was generally a gentleman so… Keith just kept getting in the car with him.

That first time, Thace had adorably and shyly asked Keith to wolf out while he sucked him off. Keith wasn’t surprised the john knew he was a werewolf, most of his business was from people wanting to have an “experience” with werewolves. Keith’s initial response was to roll his eyes (in his head of course) until Thace asked if _he_  could wolf out as well, even more shyly. This was something no john had ever asked him before. But the idea that another werewolf wanted to fuck him as a wolf was infinitely more intriguing than human johns wanting to fetishize him.

They reached their usual spot: the shitty park down by the freeway. It was the perfect place for their business, empty even in the early afternoon and anyone that _was_  there was sleeping on a bench or smoking weed by the bathrooms.

Thace parked the car far away from the park entrance, hidden behind some trees and out of the way. Not that anyone would likely walk by. They both got out of the car to move into the back seats where there was more room.

“You want me shifted like usual?” Keith wanted to check, just in case Thace’s tastes had changed.

Thace nodded with hungry eyes, “Yes, please darling.”

Of course they hadn’t. Keith grinned sweetly and peeled off his shirt. Thace liked when Keith shifted enough to make his chest hairier. It was more than the average (usually human) john liked Keith to shift, but he didn’t mind. Actually, he kind of liked it. Keith rarely spent time in any shifted form, whether it was the minor shifting of his features giving him claws and more hair, or the full-on bones cracking, flesh peeling, mind breaking kind of shifting. Thace just asked for the minor kind.

Keith relaxed, rolled his shoulders and summoned the wolf within him to surface just a little. Mentally it felt like letting out a large breath of air he’d been withholding, physically… it was hard to describe. Transforming rarely hurt especially at such a small level. It felt more like stretching a muscle that hadn’t been used in a long time, like standing up after sitting for hours to find your legs are sore from lack of use. His arms and hands were hairier, claws extending sharply out from his fingers, and there was hair on his chest now where previously he’d only had a small treasure trail. Hair increased on his face, making his brows and sideburns thicker, and his mouth could barely contain the large maw he now had.

Keith looked over at Thace who had minimally transformed as well, with similar changes affecting his strong, handsome features. He looked shy, as he often did, unused to being shifted around someone (or at all). Keith rested a hand on Thace’s thigh and rubbed his thumb there comfortingly before climbing into his lap.

His knees were on either side of Thace’s hips as he wrapped his arms around his neck, nuzzling where his wolf hair had come in. Keith sucked small kisses and nibbled on the man’s throat, careful not to leave any marks. He worked his mouth up Thace’s throat to his jaw to finally press small kisses on the man’s parted lips. Quick, chaste pecks turned into heated making out, teeth clacking and tongues exploring. It was impossible to make out shifted like this without teeth getting in the way.

Keith ground against Thace slacks and the bulge that was slowly thickening there as they kissed. Keith gasped quietly as a large, clawed hand brushed up his chest and teased one of his nipples. Thace teased him, circling a sharp claw around Keith’s nipple before softly brushing it against the sensitive nub and eliciting a whimper from Keith. If this was their first time, Keith wouldn’t allow those claws anywhere near his naked body, but he knew Thace well enough and trusted him. And, damn, it felt too to have claws softly teasing him like this.

Keith sat back on Thace’s lap, putting his chest on display for his customer. Thace brought his other hand to Keith’s hip, a clawed thumb rubbing against the bone protruding there. He leaned forward and lapped out his tongue against one of Keith’s nipples, suctioning his lips around the nub and gently brushing his teeth against it. Keith tipped his head back with a groan, sharp teeth gently rubbing against him as the expert tongue played with him. When Thace brought his hand up to Keith’s other nipple, pinching it and tweaking it suddenly, Keith grunted and thrust against Thace while he fisted his hand in Thace’s thick hair.

The hand on Keith’s hip moved back and down to palm at his ass through his jeans, gripping and squeezing the plump flesh. Thace pulled Keith against his own crotch as Keith continued to grind against him. Keith’s cock was hardening against the thick bulge in Thace’s slacks, and his hole was getting wet as the man moaned against his chest. Thace pulled his mouth off of Keith’s chest and Keith took the opportunity to capture his mouth in a sloppy kiss.

Keith began unbuttoning Thace’s white shirt, his thick pecs practically bursting out of the delicate fabric as they were freed. His chest was also very hairy, though Keith knew he had a hairy chest even when he wasn’t shifted. Keith broke the kiss and brought his mouth down to one of Thace’s nipples, moaning and sucking on it as his hand toyed with the other one.  

Thace began thrusting up against Keith with more vigor, his cock seemingly fully hard in his slacks. Keith’s free hand palmed at Thace’s cock, slowly unbuttoning the slacks and freeing it as Thace groaned in relief. Keith worked his hand through the open fly in Thace’s boxers, eager to get his hand on the man and hear the cute grunts he made when Keith worked him. Thace let out a long, hearty groan as Keith pumped his cock in his boxers and he smirked against Thace’s nipple at the hot sound.

Maybe it was silly, but Keith liked Thace. Not as in… he wanted to date him or anything, but he was sweet. He paid Keith very well for just a blowjob because he just wanted to “connect with someone like him” as he’d told Keith the first time he disclosed that he was also a werewolf. It’d really endeared him to Keith, this closeted werewolf who never let himself be who he really was, and he just wanted to make him feel good and have a good experience. It helped he was kinda Keith’s type, big, muscular, kind, slightly authoritative but also liked Keith taking control. Also he had a _fucking gorgeous cock_.

Keith stopped his ministrations on Thace’s chest and focused his attentions on pulling the cock out of Thace’s boxers, eager to get his mouth on that large cock. Thace liked his balls played with, so Keith would pull his cock out completely from the boxers instead of just through the fly. Thace stopped Keith’s hands, bringing his attention up to his face. He was looking at Keith with one of the shy-nervous expressions he gave when he asked for something “wolfy”.

“Can you… I’ll pay extra, but can you call me ‘alpha’ today?”

Keith grinned softly and nodded, leaning over to nuzzle against Thace’s neck. “Anything for you, _alpha_ …”

Thace took a shuddering breath at that and Keith smirked as he planted small kisses along his throat. His hand was still wrapped around Thace’s cock with the man’s hand splayed over it. Keith resumed pulling the cock free from its constrictions, giving it long, slow pumps when it was freed.

He worked Thace’s cock, continuing to nuzzle and kiss along his throat as with the occasional “mmm, alpha…” and “fuck, I wanna make you feel so good, alpha…” that had Thace moaning roughly every time. With quick hands, Thace produced a condom from his pocket and shoved it to Keith’s empty hand.

“Mmm, your hand feels so good darling… fuck, you take such good care of your alpha,” Thace’s voice was hushed, as if he was still a little ashamed of his kink. Keith didn’t want that, he wanted Thace to let go, to feel _good_.

Keith moved off of Thace’s throat and looked up at him with a look he knew to be demure and innocent and _sexy_  as he softly asked, “Can I please suck your cock, alpha? I wanna swallow all of your sweet, alpha seed…”

Thace let out a desperate groan, his cock twitching in Keith’s hand and he pushed forward to claim Keith’s mouth in an aggressive kiss. When Thace pulled back, he pet Keith’s hair and pushed his head down.

“Of course, darling. Gonna give my sweet, little omega what it needs, want to claim you with my seed,” Keith moaned a _please_ , mentally giving himself a high five for getting this tightly wound man to loosen up for him.

Keith adjusted himself on the back seat to be in a better position for sucking Thace’s cock. Thace was seated towards the window and Keith draped himself along the rest of the bench seat, nuzzling his face along Thace’s exposed abdomen. Thace’s hand was still rested on the back of Keith’s head, not pushing him, but remaining a constant pressure that Keith liked.

Keith actually _liked_  being a sub and it just wasn't every day he got to sub in a way that he preferred or for someone that wasn’t just fetishizing or objectifying him. He quickly opened the foil wrapper of the condom and pulled it over Thace’s aching cock. Wasting no more time, Keith stuck out his tongue and lapped at the swollen head.

Thace’s cock was thick, long, and _very_  hard and Keith could imagine his mouth watering cartoonishly at the sight of it. Keith stuck out his tongue and teasingly lapped at the tip in cute little licks. The hand in his hair tightened its hold at the attention, and Keith looked up at Thace through heavily lidded eyes to see the man looking right down at him, blush filling his rough, shifted features. “Nnng, that’s it darling, god you look so cute like this…”

Keith smirked at him and turned his attention back to the cock in his hand, wrapping his lips around his wolfy teeth to suck on the head, poking his tongue at the little slit there. It was definitely a skill to keep his werewolf teeth out of the way when sucking cock, but Keith liked to think it was a skill he’d mastered. He closed his eyes and moaned at the musky flavor, Keith fucking  _loved_  sucking cock.

Keith squeezed his hand on the cock and stroked the base slowly as he suckled the tip. His hand moved down to Thace’s balls, squeezing them _tight_  and fondling them as he took more of the cock into his mouth. Keith had to unhinge his jaw, opening his mouth wide to accommodate the hot flesh, tongue swirling around the underside and rubbing against the vein there.

Above him, Thace had his head tipped back in pleasure, barely able to contain the sounds coming out of his mouth as Keith sucked his cock into oblivion. Keith felt him shift his hips carefully, trying to be polite but also clearly wanting to fuck Keith’s mouth. Pulling off of his cock with a pop, Keith licked his slick bottom lip and looked up at Thace. He was about to have this man completely wrapped around his little finger, “Alpha, please fuck my mouth! Please use my mouth, take your pleasure from it… treat me like the slutty little omega that I am!”

_That did the trick._

Keith barely got his mouth back on Thace’s cock before the man was thrusting his hips up, softly but intently, the hand in his hair holding with more purpose. Keith groaned as his mouth had to accommodate the man’s cock, absolutely enjoying the sensation of having his mouth used like this. As Thace increased his thrusting, moving his hips in harder and more forceful jerks, Keith occasionally gagged as his cock brushed the back of his throat. Thace eased up every time he gagged, giving him a brief split second before thrusting back in, shallower, again.

Keith’s hand kept working Thace’s balls, squeezing and rolling them between his fingers while his mouth was used. Thace’s thrusts were getting more erratic as Keith worked him, his groans and grunts becoming less contained and louder as he chased his pleasure. Keith sensed the man getting close to orgasm and moved his fingers from Thace’s balls down further. He knew Thace liked him to play with his hole when he was about to come, and he knew today would be no different.

Thace’s hole had give and was already slick when Keith pressed against it and Keith was infinitely grateful for this man. Not everyone had the decency to clean themselves down there and the fact Thace came prepared made appreciation bloom in Keith’s chest. And the idea of Thace fingering himself in preparation of his ‘appointment’ and driving over here like this… Keith felt his dick twitch a little at the thought. That someone was excited to come see him, eagerly getting ready for him.

Keith pressed his finger against the slick hole, applying pressure but not pushing in just yet. A cute whine slipped out of Thace’s mouth as he applied more pressure to the hand in Keith’s hair and thrust quicker into the wet heat. Keith continued teasing his hole as his mouth was being completely used, applying just _enough_  pressure for the finger to poke in before removing it again. “Hhhhnng, please darling, don’t tease me I’m so close, pl-”

Keith hummed against the cock in his mouth, shoving his finger in to the knuckle and rubbing the velvety walls. Thace was silent in ecstasy, his hips stilled as he focused on pleasure in his core, and Keith felt a dribble of precome slip out into his throat. Keith hooked his finger, pulling it to the rim to catch there, eliciting a whispered “ _fuck fuck fuck_ ” from Thace as he resumed his thrusting.

Keith continued to tease and tug against Thace’s rim, occasionally thrusting his finger in to the knuckle roughly before pulling out to the rim again. This was driving Thace mad, as Keith knew it would, and he started panting, signaling to Keith he was going to burst soon.

“Fuckfuck, darling, I need to come, wanna spill my alpha seed into you, fill you up with my come and mark you with my scent, please _fuck_ …”

Keith bobbed his head eagerly on Thace’s cock, humming and moaning his assent. Every time his head bobbed up to the tip, Keith gently scraped his wolfish teeth under the head of the cock. Thace eagerly took the bait and held Keith’s head tight against his cock, continuing to thrust into Keith’s throat as he came. Thick, hot come filled the condom in Keith’s mouth and the primal, wolf part of him _wished_  he could just swallow it all and take his alphas sweet come.

Thace rode out his orgasm for a few minutes, pumping his hips into Keith and groaning, sweet little pleas falling from his mouth until he’d filled the condom and was completely spent. Keith pulled off of the cock as Thace leaned back, body sated and cock limp. Thace carefully peeled the condom off, tying it closed and putting it into a designated plastic bag so it wouldn’t make a mess in his car. After Keith put Thace’s cock away carefully, Thace pulled Keith into his lap and rubbed his hand along Keith’s cock still trapped in his pants.

“Can I take care of you, darling? I want you to come all over my chest please…”

Keith groaned and nodded, cock throbbing at the mental image of come covering Thace’s hairy chest. Keith fumbled his pants open for Thace, pulling his boxers down under his cock and exposing it for Thace to see. Thace’s hand was very big, thumb and forefinger dwarfing Keith’s enlarged clit as they pulled and rubbed. Keith was so hard and his hole right under his cock was so wet, staining his underwear, and it would only take a little bit for Keith to come.

Thace brought his other hand to press against the wet hole under Keith’s cock, parting the slick folds to rub against the hole underneath. Keith came quickly with a shout, an intense orgasm wracking through him. As slick dribbled from his hole, he could imagine come spurting from his cock onto Thace’s chest and catching in the hair along his soft stomach. Keith didn’t normally come this quickly with his customers, but Thace was just so much his type. Big, strong, muscles for days, but a kind and caring disposition. He _definitely_  didn’t remind Keith of any childhood crushes.

Keith slumped into the seat next to Thace, graciously taking a wet wipe to try and clean up some of the slick he’d gotten on himself. He cleared his mind, shifting back the wolf to retain his fully human features. He looked over to see Thace doing the same as well as cleaning up the come on his chest. Now clean, he leaned forward and grabbed his wallet from the center console, pulling out a $100 and holding it out to Keith, “A tip, for being so good for me.”

Keith pocketed the bill and smiled graciously as he gave Thace a peck on the cheek. They both got out of the car and back into the front seats so Thace could drive them back to Keith’s car. It was a quick five-minute drive that they spent with companionable small-talk.

They pulled into the empty lot, next to Keith’s car, and Keith gave Thace another peck on the cheek. “Can I expect to see you again next week?”

Thace nodded and unlocked the car doors, pulling a business card from his coat pocket, “Of course, darling. I know you don’t have a phone, but when you get one here’s my number. Take care of yourself now!”

Keith waved as Thace drove off, excited by how much heavier his wallet was now. He couldn’t wait to get a phone, it would be so much easier to manage and contact his clients. Right now, he mostly worked through word of mouth and his few regulars, and it’s hard to build a clientele on that alone.

Doing the math in his head, Keith weighed the options of signing up for a phone plan today. It’d mean he’d have to put off getting his windshield fixed for another month or so, but it sure would help him to _make_  more money to have one.

 _Fuck it, I’m gonna do it. Maybe I’ll be able to get more business tonight. Guess no motel for me tonight… I’ll have pancakes instead_.

 

* * *

  

The parking lot was mostly empty at midnight when Shiro pulled in for his shift. Walking around to the back entrance, Shiro noticed the car in the vacant lot was there again, albeit parked in a _different_  spot. _How many days this week has that car been here? Have I just never noticed it before?_  His hand was on the doorknob of the building as he internally debated the decision to go check the car out. _I mean… I am the manager here, it could be suspicious activity_.

That was the defense he went with as he walked the twenty or so feet over to the car. As he got closer to the beater it was obvious there was no one in it currently. Shiro looked around quickly before peering in through one of the windows. The car looked crammed with stuff, blankets strewn over the back seat as well as various clothing items. In the trunk, there were bags and boxes of things, what looked like various canned foods, a giant jug of water, various other non-perishable foods. This car wasn’t just holding things, it was _lived in_.

Shiro walked away feeling guilty like he’d just peeped in through someone’s bedroom window. He didn’t necessarily like the idea of someone living out of their car in this empty lot, but it also wasn’t any of his business.

Lance was already in the breakroom putting a bag away in his locker when Shiro got there. He looked up at Shiro when he entered and gave him a wave with a big yawn. “ _Man_ , this psych class is killing me, I’ve barely been able to get any sleep ‘cause of all the homework. Ugh. You’re lucky you don’t have to do school anymore.”

Shiro gave Lance a blank look, “Only ‘cause I had to drop out.” That made Lance wince, clearly he hadn’t thought before he spoke. Shiro smiled softly, waving it away, “Just let me know if you need fewer shifts, or shorter ones. I’d rather you do better in school and get a full night’s sleep. We could work it out.”

Lance looked relieved, throwing a soft punch at Shiro’s arm, “Thanks man, I’ll let you know. I might have to take you up on that soon, it’ll be exams week soon and I’m definitely going to need time off then.”

They walked out towards the front together and Shiro thought again of the car in the empty lot. Maybe Lance knew something about it, “Hey Lance, have you noticed that car that’s always here? The one in the empty lot out back, I think it’s been here a while.”

Lance made an inquisitive face, “I mean… I guess? Sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s not, I don’t know. I suppose it’s there a lot. Why?”

Shiro shrugged, “I don’t know, probably nothing. Just, kind of looks like someone’s living out of the car, y’know?”

“What, d’you get a good look at it or something?”

“...I was curious. I don’t know, I guess as long as no one’s been weird or suspicious.”

They were standing at the podium in front of the front door, only a couple of tables had people at them. Lance shuffled the menus idly, “I mean, other than the normal level of weird it takes for someone to be at a Denny’s in the middle of the night? Not really.”

Shiro nodded as Lance walked over to one of the tables to check up on them. He should just drop it but it just made him concerned. Maybe he could put up a “help wanted” sign since Lance might be wanting fewer hours, if someone is down on their luck it could help them out.

He looked up as Lance came scurrying back with a shit-eating grin on his face, the person at the table he came from grumbling. He raised an eyebrow at Lance who just shrugged and walked over to one of the only other occupied tables, stopping to turn and ask Shiro, “Oh, can you bring coffee to that table, a fresh pot should be done in a sec. I don’t think he likes me very much haha.”

Shiro tried to ask _what did you do this time_  but Lance was already at the other table. Sighing, Shiro went to the coffee machine and waited for it to finish. Crossing his arms, he looked over at the table and a mop of black hair. Something about the strange haircut resonated with Shiro, but he wasn’t sure what, distracted as the coffee machine sputtered loudly and beeped, announcing it was finished.

He walked over to the table and started pouring into the mostly empty cup on the edge of the table, “Anything else I can--”

Shiro’s breath caught, his eyes bore into wide, steel eyes, mirroring the shock that was on his own face. He didn’t notice the coffee pouring over.

“K-Keith?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr!](http://notkeithsblog.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Keith woke up this morning he had _really_ not expected to run into the one person he’d desperately wanted to see for years. Who was also the one person he didn’t want to see. The one person Keith didn’t know what he would even _do_ when he finally saw him again.
> 
> And here he was, in the flesh sitting across from Keith in his booth at Denny’s at just after midnight, apologizing for _of all things_ spilling his coffee. Keith couldn’t help but just sit there with a dumb look on his face while Shiro distracted himself with cleaning up the coffee mess he’d made.
> 
> Keith wanted to cry. He wanted to yell. He wanted to pull Shiro over the table and, what? Hug him? Kiss him? Punch him? Keith’s brain was reeling and he didn’t know what reaction to go with.

 

_“Name’s Keith. Some people call me ‘dog’ but if you even think of doing that I’ll rip your tongue out.”_

_Keith’s tone was serious but his eyes were smiling, and as Shiro pulled his hand back he noticed the giddy feeling in his stomach intensifying._

\----------

When Shiro got the letter of his scholarship to GAL-Tech University the victory rang a little hollow in his chest. He knew that was wrong, it was his first choice after all. It had the best aeronautics program on this side of the country, his best friend was going with him, and he got a _scholarship_  so he wouldn’t have to be up to his ears in debt. But when he picked up Keith to have celebratory drinks at the pier and told him the news, the boy’s empty smile made the victory feel like a punishment.

Keith wouldn’t be able to join him for at least three years.

They were sitting on the dock, the bay’s water lit by a full moon, stars bright and twinkling in the clear night sky. There was a six-pack of beer between them as they each nursed a can in silence.

“No, seriously, I’m really fucking pumped for you! I’m just… You’re gonna do great at GAL-Tech. You planning on taking up wrestling there, too?”

Keith’s voice was sincere as he gave Shiro a smile that looked a bit less heartbroken than the last one. Shiro knew that wasn’t all that was on Keith’s mind, but he nodded, “I plan on it.”

Shiro couldn’t really think of anything to say so he chose instead to take a big swig of beer. At least it wasn’t the shitty brand of beer. Matt and his ever-powerful fake ID gifted Shiro with his favorite brand of booze as a congratulations gift, Shiro had merely pouted ‘cause he hadn’t gotten Matt anything and the guy _knew_  Shiro couldn’t buy him booze as a gift.

Keith’s voice broke the silence, “It’s gonna be lonely with you gone. And Matt.”

Again there was more to his voice, more Shiro knew Keith wanted to say. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to think of a response to that. Despite how hard Shiro tried to get Keith to socialize, he knew the boy’s only friends at the school were him and Matt. Keith didn’t have any friends in his grade, and he didn’t really try. It had bothered Shiro all year, Keith was such a _neat guy_ , but he never let any get close enough to see that.

Except him. And Matt, by proxy.

Shiro nodded, realizing he hadn’t said anything yet, and took a drink. “You’re gonna make new friends, bud. I still really think you should try out for the wrestling team, you _know_  you’d do good.”

He tried to stay light-hearted, giving Keith a playful punch on the shoulder and reminding Keith of all the time’s they’d play wrestled together. Matt was always off to the side shaking his head as the reigning regional wrestling Champion was taken out by a scrappy kid two weight divisions under him.

Keith shrugged and looked up at the stars, tilting his head back quick for a drink and Shiro couldn’t take his eyes off of his profile. How he was lit by the night’s sky, making his nose and cheekbones have a shine to them, his eyes glowing like the moon. Adoration flooded his chest.

He couldn’t tell him.

He’d missed his chance. _No. There never was a chance_. Even if Keith felt the same, he was too young. Keith had just finished his first year in high school and he couldn’t get held down by someone graduating and moving away. Shiro couldn’t do that to him. It wouldn’t be fair of him to ask Keith to wait for him and it wouldn’t be fair to himself. They wouldn’t be able to see each other often anyway, GAR-Tech was a 10-hour drive away in another _state_.

Keith didn’t even have a phone, let alone a computer or any social media profiles. They wouldn’t be able to maintain a long distance relationship anyway.

_Wait, shit. How are we going to stay in contact?_

Shiro tried not to panic, they’d figure that out later. This is one of the last time’s he’d get to hang out with Keith, he didn’t want to ruin it. Before his brain could spiral, Keith leaned over and rested his head against Shiro’s shoulder. Something inside Shiro’s chest shattered.

_I just care about you so much, Keith… I wish I could tell you just how much._

Nervous about overstepping, Shiro hesitantly brought a hand up to Keith’s shoulder in a tame embrace. If Keith was uncomfortable he didn’t show it. Keith instead relaxed against Shiro’s side, eyes fixed on some point in the distance as they were held close.

 

* * *

  


When Keith woke up this morning he had _really_  not expected to run into the one person he’d desperately wanted to see for years. Who was also the one person he didn’t want to see. The one person Keith didn’t know what he would even _do_  when he finally saw him again.

And here he was, in the flesh sitting across from Keith in his booth at Denny’s at just after midnight, apologizing for _of all things_  spilling his coffee. Keith couldn’t help but just sit there with a dumb look on his face while Shiro distracted himself with cleaning up the coffee mess he’d made.

Shiro shouldn’t be here, he should be one state over at university for at least a few more months. He looked a little rough for wear, many things had clearly changed in the years since Keith had last seen him. His once young and boyish face was now more angular, a shock of white hair aging him, and a gash across his face that Keith was anxious to know about. But his awkward-despite-how-hunky-he-is mannerisms, his needlessly apologetic attitude, he was still the _same_. And Keith… Keith was _not_.

Keith wanted to cry. He wanted to yell. He wanted to pull Shiro over the table and, what? Hug him? Kiss him? Punch him? Keith’s brain was reeling and he didn’t know what reaction to go with.

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice broke through his thoughts, still as soft and deep as it used to be.

“I’m just. I’m really thrown through a loop here. Really didn’t, ah… really didn’t expect to see _you_  today, Shiro.”

Shiro’s name felt foreign on his lips. It’d been so long since he’d said it, it felt like trying to pull up the fractured Spanish he’d learned in high school and forgotten immediately after.

Shiro nodded and ducked his head, “Yeah, it’s been a long time… and I’m sorry about that. I tried to get ahold of you every time I came up here to visit, but no one knew where you were and you weren’t living with the family I last saw you with. I couldn’t figure out how to find you.”

Keith didn’t really know how to respond to that, instead choosing to dress his cup of coffee and hide his face with his hair. Giving only a small reply of “Yeah…”

Keith’s eyes burned, he’d spent a long time convincing himself that Shiro just didn’t _care_. That if the man really missed him he’d find a way to see him, even if he knew that was ridiculous. It was somehow easier to believe Shiro didn’t want to see him again. Logically, he knew there wasn’t any way for them to stay in contact or for Shiro to be able to find him. Still doesn’t mean he never harbored resentment for it, though.

He quickly glanced up at Shiro and he looked how Keith felt: guilty, sad, just _terrible_. This wasn’t fair. They should be happy to see each other, be able to pick up conversation easily and quickly like no time had passed. Reminisce about old times and fill in the blanks of what they’d been up to in the meantime.

Keith sighed softly and slumped his shoulders, his coffee was as full of sugar and creamer packs as he wanted it. It wasn’t fair to push Shiro away like this, and he didn’t _really_  want to. He looked up at Shiro again with a small smile, “It’s good to see you again, Takashi.”

The smile that cracked Shiro’s face warmed Keith like the first sun after a long winter. _Fuck, I’d still do anything for that smile._  Shiro’s voice was soft and quiet, “It’s good to see you too, Keith. I’ve really missed you.”

“Heyo! Moons Over My Hammy™ with a short stack on the side!”

Keith turned his head slowly to give Lance a blank look as he set down Keith’s meal. _He knew we were having a personal conversation_. He flicked his eyes over to Shiro and he was giving Lance the exact same look. If Lance noticed the double glares he was receiving, he ignored them, “You want anything to eat, boss?”

Shiro continued to give Lance the same glare, “Just a drip for me.” Lance mocked a salute and walked off unaffected, leaving Shiro looking a little guilty that he was sitting on the job. _Some things don’t change_. Lance returned quickly with a mug and a carafe and poured Shiro a cup.

“Sorry, Lance, I’ll come help you in a sec, I just wanted-”

“Does it look like I need help, man? I mean,” Lance waved his arm around the empty diner, “I know we’re just _overflowing_  with customers right now, but I think I can handle it.” He winked at Shiro and walked off. Plus five points to you, Lance.

Shiro looked relieved that at least Lance wasn’t upset he was sitting out, taking a sip off his hot coffee and looking over at Keith. Keith still had many questions, “So… how come you’re not at uni? Thought you’d have at least a few more months, assuming you’d only take four years.”

Shiro shifted in his seat as he set down his mug, “Yeah, I was set up to graduate in June, but around November last year my Grandfather had a bad fall. He’s okay now, but you know it’s just me and him. He’s been in assisted living since my second year in university, but I just... I can’t leave him alone, right now. Also when he was in the hospital we realized he hadn’t updated his will since my parents died, and he just has a lot of stuff to sort out in case… In case anything happens.”

Keith nodded sympathetically and reached over to rest his hand on Shiro’s arm on the table. He’d only met Shiro’s grandfather a few times during their year of friendship. He was a kind man, if a little stern, “I’m glad to hear he’s doing better.”

Shiro nodded and took another drink of coffee while Keith pondered asking about Shiro’s scar. He didn’t want to pry if it was something he didn’t want to talk about but… He was just concerned. Before he could ask anything though, Shiro beat him to it, “So what have you been up to? You would have graduated a little under a year ago, right?”

Keith _really_  didn’t want to talk about himself but saw no easy way out of it, “Yeah I graduated last June. I’ve been just kinda. Around. You know. Trying to save up to maybe go to the college here in town.”

Shiro nodded, clearly seeing there was a lot Keith didn’t want to expand on. “Where are you working these days?”

 _Shit_. “Um, mostly odd jobs.” _Fuck I gotta get the conversation_ off _me_. “How um. How’d you get that?” Keith motioned to his nose, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Shiro shifted, it was obviously a touchy subject. He fiddled with his hands in his lap before bringing them up to the table, pulling up the long sleeve on his right arm, exposing a black prosthetic arm. _Oh_. Keith hadn’t noticed that before now. “You… you don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want, I’m sorry, I-”

Shiro waved him off, “Nah, it’s okay, I can talk about it. It happened my first year in uni. I was leaving a frat party, really drunk, and got attacked.”

Keith felt a chill run through him parallel to a rage. He wanted to kill these nameless assholes, make them feel even a fraction of the pain and fear Shiro must have gone through. He clenched his fists, “Fuck, did they catch the guys? What the hell did they _do_?”

Keith watched as Shiro fiddled with his prosthetic fingers, tapping them on the table rhythmically.

“It was, ah. It was a couple of werewolves actually.”

_Oh. Well… shit._

Keith shifted uncomfortably, dread, hatred and shame bubbling in his stomach. He nodded and made a soft “Oh,” as Shiro continued.

“Just some assholes, the kind of guys that ‘wanna go back to their roots’, y’know, that kind of thing. They were fully shifted and fully aware of what they were doing.” Shiro pulled his sleeve down, bringing his hands back to his lap and fiddling with them again. “They haven’t been caught yet but, y’know. What’d’ya do.”

“Shit, I’m. I’m sorry, Takashi…”

Shiro looked up at him, an unreadable look in his eyes, “You don’t need to apologize, Keith. Some people are just bad people. They’d’ve still been assholes if they were plain old humans. You don’t have to apologize for them.”

It was Shiro’s turn to rest his hand, his flesh one, on Keith’s arm reassuringly. “A few shitty guys aren’t gonna change my view of an entire group of people.” Keith melted under the touch and smile Shiro gave him. _Fuck, I’m not even the upset one and he’s trying to comfort me. He’s being so good and kind, and as_ usual _I’m being a shitty friend_.

Shiro pulled back, taking another sip of his coffee and motioning to Keith, “You should eat that before it gets cold.”

Keith looked down to his plate, he’d completely forgotten all about his impulse food order. They continued to talk while Keith ate his mediocre and slightly cold grilled cheese and ham sandwich. He’d bought it solely for its dumb name, forgetting what a terror Lance was until he wouldn’t drop that Keith, a werewolf, ordered a food item with the word “moon” in the name.

It wasn’t until Lance had come over to refill Shiro’s coffee for a third time when he noted that it was a little past one. They’d been talking for about an hour and Keith was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

“Ack, I should probably get back to work. It’s still quiet but I’ve been sitting long enough I think. Plus, you should go home and get some sleep, you look exhausted.”

Keith let out a long yawn, stretching his arms above him and nodded. As much as he’d love to talk with Shiro until the sun came up, he was right. He’d distracted Shiro for long enough and was ready to pass out himself.

“Yeah, you’re right, as usual. It’s been really good catching up. I can’t believe you’ve been here this long and I’ve only run into you _now_.”

Shiro’s laugh turned into a yawn, “Mhm, me too. Oh, do you happen to have a phone now? Or an email or some way I can contact you with?”

Keith shook his head before jumping in sudden realization, “Oh yeah! I just got one today actually. It’s not fully set up, but I now have a phone number. I’m practically a fully functioning member of society now!”

He dug his phone out of his backpack, it was the cheapest smartphone the store had. He unlocked it and handed it over to Shiro, “Here, we gotta hang out when you’re not working.”

Shiro nodded as he punched in his number, handing it back to Keith with a smile, “Maybe we can hang out on my next day off, if you’re not working that day too.”

Keith was distracted by his phone, Shiro having put his contact info in as ‘shirp’. _Why does this just fucking endear him to me even more? Why is he so cute?_  He texted Shiro so he’d have his number, “ _fancy college man can’t even spell his name right_ ”.

“There, now you have my number too. Yeah, text me on your day off and I’ll see if I’m working that day.” _Joke’s on you, I MAKE my own schedule, haha!_

Wait...

_Fuck, Shiro working here… kinda complicates things. It’s one thing if some random asshole walks in on me with a john but god, I can’t have that happen with Shiro…_

Keith didn’t have much time to panic as Shiro heaved himself out of the booth and waited for Keith to get out as well. He grabbed his bag and pushed out of the seat, stunned as strong arms suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. Heat burned at Keith’s eyes. It’d… been a long time since he’d last gotten a hug. Let alone one of Shiro’s amazing, strong hugs.

The way Shiro’s arms gripped him felt like he was afraid Keith would just vanish in his arms. Keith had to take a steady breath to fight back tears that were close to spilling as his wrapped his arms around Shiro’s torso. The hug only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity and Keith didn’t want it to _stop_. It was strange how touch-starved he was, despite what he did for money.

Shiro pulled away and Keith felt colder, a little dazed. They started walking towards the entrance before Keith realized, “Oh, I gotta go pay my bill, I-”

Shiro waved him off, “Nah, it’s cool I’ll cover it. Moons Over My Hammy™ isn’t really worth what it’s cost, anyway.”

If Keith didn’t know better he’d think this was some kind of act of charity, his first bristling instinct pushing him to throw it back in Shiro’s face. However, this was Shiro, and he did shit like this all the time. And yeah, the meaty grilled cheese wasn’t that great.

He smiled gratefully, “Thanks Shiro. Yeah, no offense to the chef, I think I was more in love with the name than the actual food… Until I told your waiter my order and he wouldn’t drop it.”

Shiro’s shoulders shook as he laughed, landing a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Yeah, he can be insufferable with the puns. And jokes. And-” “HEY NOW!” “Anyway, I’ll text you the day after tomorrow, that’s my next day off. We can chill at my place, I don’t have any video games like Matt did but I have a DVD player. Could be like old times?”

Keith’s heart clenched, _old times_ , “I look forward to it, Shiro.”

He didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t keep trying to prolong the conversation, especially with the promise of seeing each other again and the exhaustion raking through his body. Keith’s mind buzzed as he walked out of the Denny’s. Too many thoughts and emotions running through him.

Keith got in his car and planted his face against the steering wheel. _This is terrible. I’m so elated. I’m terrified. He acted cool but he_  can’t _be cool about me being a werewolf after what happened to him. I can’t believe he’s been back since November and I’ve only seen him now. Did he_  really _have no way of contacting me? No way at all? That’s not fair, I had no way to contact him._ God _I want to kill whoever did that to him. Fuck, I thought I’d moved past this stupid crush._

 _Fuck. Fuck._  Fists pounded against plastic.

Keith picked his head off the steering wheel, resting it against the headrest. Closing his eyes, he took a big breath and tried to clear his mind. _Breathe in, breathe out. Patience. Yields. Fuck._

 _I gotta find a new place to hustle I_ can’t _do it here anymore. Ugh, it took me months to build up my clientele in this neighborhood. Fuck, whatever, I can do it. I can’t have Shiro finding out I fucking sell myself._

Just the thought of him knowing… Keith could already see the disappointment in his eyes. _How would I look him in the eye, what would he think of me after that…_  Shiro had been such a positive influence on his life, it almost felt like Keith was letting him down by stooping as low as he was. Not that… he felt that poorly about what he did. Just. Shiro was the only one who ever saw any potential in him. He saw more in Keith than Keith did in himself, and what had he done with his life since then?

 _I don’t want Shiro to look at me differently_.

It was a little past one and there was no way Keith was going to sleep anytime soon, especially in his back seat. He deserved a treat, he deserved a motel room tonight. Seeing Shiro, good as it was, threw him through a huge fucking loop and he wanted a bed and a shower and a TV to drown out his thoughts.

He’d deal with the rest of this tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr!](http://notakeithblog.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get out, I wanted to rework just a little bit with Keith (mostly like two paragraphs back in chapter 2), clarifying a bit more about his body/identity. Just to clarify, he is a trans guy and uses both dick and clit interchangeably for his bits. I also added the underage archive warning for the flashback sequences, just to be safe (all characters in this fic are of age btw)

 

Keith blinked awake to rays of sun gently gracing his face, thin slits of light peeking through the closed blinds. The beds at the Lazy Dog Inn weren’t comfy by normal bed standards but compared to sleeping scrunched on a car backseat it was like sleeping on a cloud. Needless to say, nights spent at motels were the best night’s sleep Keith got these days.

It was half-past nine in the morning and Keith knew he should get up soon, but he also paid money for this room so he might as well enjoy it while he had it. By stressing over what the fuck to do about his situation.

 _I need a new location to work at. I can’t believe Shiro’s been back since November and I’ve only seen him at the Denny’s_ now _. I mean, I’ve only been hustling near there for a couple months but… I can’t believe we haven’t run into each other at all in that time._

Keith fiddled with his phone and opened up the app store. At least he can now start using social media to find customers, there were a few apps Thace had told him about he’d have to check out. He immediately got overwhelmed, brain too distracted to focus on work things. Keith sighed and rolled over, closing his phone for now.

_Shiro._

He had been such a bright light in Keith’s life back in high school. It almost made sense to Keith when Shiro left him without turning back, such an amazing person like that couldn’t be held down by someone like Keith. His life was just too much of a mess, too many bad cards dealt and bad decisions made. Keith had gotten so used to the life he had made for himself that it was hard to imagine how Shiro could even fit into it. If he even  _should_ fit into it anymore.

_No- that- That feels bad._

Keith’s chest ached at the thought. Now that he had Shiro in his life again, Keith didn’t know what he’d do if Shiro left him for a second time. Well, he’d move on but… he just didn’t want to think about it. Shiro was back in his life, he didn’t need to overwhelm himself with negative ‘what-if’s.

Keith opened the contacts app on his phone, staring at the small digital letters misspelling Shiro’s name. _Stupid endearing fucker._ He clicked through to their messages, the few they had so far: Keith giving Shiro a hard time for spelling his name wrong, Shiro texting back and telling Keith to text him when he gets home to make sure he got home safely. He used to do that back in high school too. Keith had texted him when he checked into the motel and they chatted for a bit until Keith passed out after two am.

It was strange to Keith how much he and Shiro could just pick up from where they left off years ago. He thought it would have been more awkward or that Shiro would immediately see through him and know he’s selling himself and wanting nothing to do with him, but that was just the panic gremlin in his brain talking.

No one in his life stayed for long. Keith’s dad wasn’t a great caretaker after his mom had left. He didn’t know how to take care of a child and it wasn’t long until he was gone too. That’d been a terrible day at elementary school, waiting outside for his dad to pick him up until the school officials realized he wasn’t coming. After that, he was never in one foster home for long before he was moved to the next one. Changing houses, changing school districts, he never had friends and he never had a family.

Once people got to know Keith they ended up leaving. He couldn’t do this with Shiro, not again. Not with the one person he’d hoped would stay, despite his best efforts not to feel that way. He couldn’t let himself get attached again if Shiro was just going to leave him, or worse, cast him out. Keith didn’t know what he was going to do with that bridge when they needed to cross it.

Keith sighed. His body was tense despite having just woken up, like the wolf in him was already stressed about something. And since the wolf in him had different concerns than him he knew it had nothing to do with the Shiro situation.  Despite his train of thought he was wet _. Ugh._ Keith shoved a hand under the duvet and into his boxers, rubbing fingers in between the folds until they parted to reveal wet flesh. Yup, definitely really fucking wet.

_I could jerk off, I mean… I have this room for another few hours, might as well take advantage._

Keith pulled back the duvet and hopped out of the bed, making his way quickly over to the bag he knew a dildo was packed away. He slid back under the duvet and tried to relax as started rubbing his dick through his boxers. He sifted through all his favorite fantasies until he chose a memory of Shiro from high school (a classic).

It had been a Friday night and Keith was at Shiro’s house. Shiro had somehow acquired a bottle of fireball and they crammed together on the couch in Shiro’s basement. They’d gotten  _smashed_ playing a drinking game to some show Shiro liked about a… mysterious theater, was it? Or 3000 scientists? Keith couldn’t remember, he’d never heard of it before then. But Shiro’s rules were harsh and they’d gotten drunk very quickly. They continued to drink after the movie (show?) was over, and late into the night.

Keith had gone on to drunkenly explain to an equally drunk Shiro how werewolf secondary sex designations worked. He doesn’t remember  _how_ they got on this topic, just that he was drunkenly talking about his genitals  _way too much_ (which he would be very embarrassed about the next day). He’d explained that werewolves had three secondary sex designations: alpha, beta, and omega, to which Shiro whined “ _ev’vrybody knows, Keith, but what the fuck does it meeaannnn”_.

They’d been absolutely plastered.

Keith told Shiro about how the secondary sex designation doesn’t have any holding on the gender of the werewolf. Their designation comes out around puberty essentially making any werewolf have to go through two puberties, “ _whichhis so unfair, Shiro you have no idea_.”

Without given even a fraction of a thought, Keith took this moment to drunkenly out himself as trans to Shiro. “ _So, like, first I learn I gotta fucking deal with bleeding once a month and all that bullshit and_ then  _there’s all this omega shit I gotta get used to too!_ ”

Though, Keith didn’t hate all of the ‘omega shit’ he went through. For some reason, when he designated as omega his hormones started going out of whack in his favor. Keith had known he was a boy since way before all this so when puberty hit and he had to deal with the bullshit that came with it, he was simultaneously graced with a rush of testosterone hormones. He’d come to learn that most designated female at birth omegas got this same hormone imbalance.

Omegas, he continued to explain, have a focus on breeding so even AFAB omegas need to be able to fulfill both roles, “ _issa evolutionary… safeguard… thing… Like frogs! I think…_ ”. Keith then drunkenly waved around his crotch as he _for some fucking reason_ described in detail how he had a “ _very very big clit, like, believe me, man, as omegas go I’m hung.”_

Shiro only laughed red-faced and giddily, taking another big swig of booze.

Keith couldn’t explain  _why_ , but that made him feel the need to show Shiro his dick, “ _like, no, lemme show you, bet you ain’t_ ever  _seen a clit this big, man_ ”. But before he knew it, his pants were around his thighs and he was showing a wide-eyed Shiro his dick. Not one of his finest moments.

“ _And apparently when I go through heat it’ll grow even bigger like_ ,” Keith pinched his thumb and forefinger together near his crotch and widened the space in between the fingers as a demonstration, “ _to like about there, I think._ ”

Thinking back on this night, Keith would feel so much embarrassment and… mostly just embarrassment, but what Shiro did  _next_ more than made up for his stupid, drunk antics.

Yes, this is what Keith wanted, this memory right here. His body already started to respond as he recalled more of that night.

Shiro had taken this as an opportunity to show  _himself_ off to Keith, giving him an eyeful of Takashi Shirogane, regional wrestling champion and probable class valedictorian and his _thick gorgeous dick._ Keith being drunk with his dick out found _no shame_ in telling Shiro how beautiful and big his cock was while staring at it unashamedly. He’d go on to be very embarrassed about all this, but at the time Keith was _thirsty_ and Shiro, a big drink of water.

Even though he remembers staring, Keith mostly has to piece together memories of Shiro’s dick. The way it hung limply against Shiro’s ( _gorgeous, biteable, muscled_ ) hairy thigh, how big it was even though it was limp. How they both just sat like that, their dicks out, as they continued to drink and laugh.

Keith’s eyes would continue to flick down to Shiro’s crotch and linger, noticing over time how it began to thicken. Keith’s logical brain knew it was probably ‘cause they were drinking and joking and having fun. He liked to imaging moving down to his knees and nuzzling against the warm flesh there, wanting to see how big it would really get. To this day, the thought was enough to make his dick ache.

The Shiro of then had a boyishly handsome face, handsome enough to be ingrained in Keith’s memory for all these years. But now that he had seen Shiro again… His face had filled out, his jawline was more defined, and _fuck_ if he didn’t make that scar look good. The streak of white in his hair aged him but he wore it well. Keith could imagine that white hair wet with sweat, sticking to his forehead as he lowered his mouth in between Keith’s legs. _Fuck_.

Keith pulled his boxers off, getting his fingers in between wet folds and rubbing where he imagined Shiro’s tongue lapping at him. Just the image of meeting Shiro’s eyes as his mouth worked him made Keith gush slick onto his fingers. He’d hold Shiro in place with his hands, fingers interlocked behind his head while he rut against Shiro’s mouth, getting his slick all over Shiro’s face. Shiro would moan as he sucked Keith’s swollen clit into his mouth, closing his eyes in pleasure at the taste of him.

Getting eaten out by Shiro was a common fantasy of Keith’s, there was _no way_ that boy didn’t know how to use his mouth properly. Keith shoved two fingers in himself, his hole wet and eager enough to take two immediately. He spread his fingers on every thrust in, bringing his other hand to pull and rub at his dick. He was so turned on that just fingers in him wasn’t very satisfying, he’d soon need _more_.

Keith let out a little gasp as he continued his fantasy: Shiro coming up for a kiss, letting Keith taste himself on his lips and tongue, rubbing his clothed dick against Keith’s sopping wet hole and making a mess of Shiro’s jeans. Keith would moan impatiently, wrap his legs around Shiro’s middle and thrust up against the hardness there, rutting their two cocks together. Just the image of his dick against Shiro’s longer, thicker one was enough to make Keith’s cock throb as he rubbed it harder.

Keith grabbed his dildo and lined it up with his hole, rubbing the head against the slick entrance and teasing himself. He imagined Shiro teasing him, trying to get Keith to beg for it. Keith pictured Shiro’s cock resting against his hole, the thickness of it intimidating. How much would it stretch Keith? Would it hurt or would his hole open up easily for him?

 _Fuck_ , Keith wanted this cock so bad. He’d want to flip them over, climb on Shiro’s lap and impale himself on Shiro’s cock.

Keith pushed the dildo inside himself, moaning as it stretched him wide and filled him deep, the smooth silicone gliding in easily. He pumped the dildo quickly in and out of his body, imagining pinning Shiro down as he bounced on his cock, riding him like his _life_ depended on it.

He wanted to take care of Shiro, to hold him down and pleasure Shiro’s cock with his body. Make Shiro feel even a fraction of how good he makes Keith feel. But he also wanted Shiro on top of him, pinning him down as he thrust into Keith’s body. Taking control of the situation and Keith, taking all of his stress and anxieties away as he fucked his brains out.

 _I want his cock in me so bad…_ Keith sped up his thrusting, his pleasure heightening. _Fuck, I want him to pin me down, make me take his cock, use my hole like a toy…_ He didn’t notice as his features shifted, fur raising on his arms and chest.

 _Shiro using me to pleasure himself, I’m just a hole for him to wet his cock with…_ Keith was practically punching the toy inside him, needing more more _more. I want him to pull my hair, bite my neck and mark me up, press his hand against my stomach and feel his thick cock filling me over and over and over._

Keith’s dick throbbed as it swelled, he was too out of it to notice how his cock got marginally larger. _Nng, fuck I just want him to breed me up, knot me, plug me up with his seed!_

Keith growled as he came, throat raw from how much he had been using it. His cock throbbed as his hole clenched around the toy inside him. He whimpered as he felt slick run down his thighs and ass, he’d _squirted_. His orgasm was still wracking through him as he continued to furiously pump the cock inside him, feeling more and more slick dripping out of him. The sounds in the room were absolutely lewd, like some kind of dingy porno, squelching and moaning and just _wet_ sounds.

Keith collapsed on the bed. He hadn’t realized he’d been strung up like a marionette with how tense he was until all that tension suddenly left his body. He laid limply in his wet spot on the sheets, the dildo still inside him as the last of the aftershocks buzzed through him.

He pulled the toy out of him, grimacing at the wet mess when he noticed he’d partially wolfed-out at some point. _Huh, don’t remember that happening_. Sitting up, Keith set the messy toy next to him on the bed, focusing his energy on shifting back when he remembered-

 _‘I want him to breed me up… knot me full of his seed…_ ’

“What the fuck…” His cheeks burned and he covered his face, embarrassed in the empty room. Keith didn’t normally have fantasies like that. He had entertained similar things with Thace but…

That tensed feeling from before was still in him, despite what an intense orgasm he’d had and how much it  _did_ relax him… There was something in him still wound tight.

_Fuck, this was a mistake. Shoulda just woken up and left. Gotta wash this all off with a shower._

His mood improved slightly at the prospect of a private shower, even if the Lazy Dog Inn’s showers had really weak water pressure, it was better than the gym. He had a lot of work to do today with trying to move his whole hustle out of the Denny’s parking lot.

\----------

Keith was really playing with fire here. A regular of his ended up showing up at the empty lot at his usual time of very late. This client always liked fucking Keith in the parking lot, specifically on or in his (ugly) expensive silver Mustang (the kind that looked to Keith like a ghost cop car).

He had to convince this guy to at least drive somewhere else for tonight, “Hey, I’m going to be moving spots, this Denny’s is getting a little stale for me. I can give you my email so you can find me at my new location, when I find one.”

Keith was already prepared with his email written on a piece of paper and handed it to the john who pocketed it right before undoing his pants and pulling a condom out of his pocket. _Whoah there buddy_ , “Also- I was hoping we could go somewhere else for today? This place is really-”

“Look baby, I don’t have the time for that. My wife expects me home, I’m here already, we doing this or not?”

In hindsight, Keith could have said ‘no’ and _should have_ , but he wanted to keep good business with this guy, and his money. Internally, Keith grimaced. But he still had time. Shiro shouldn’t clock on for another forty minutes, and this guy would definitely not need that long (he never did). Still, Keith worried.

Keith nodded and moved towards the car, the man taking that as his cue to pull his dick out. It was limp, but only a few strokes pulled it to hardness, his other hand holding Keith’s money. Ready to get this over with, Keith grabbed the money and put it on the hood of the car. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down, resting his forearms on the hood and spreading his legs as wide as his bunched up pants would allow.

He leaned his head against his hands, clasped together, as he heard the man put the condom on and line himself up with Keith. _I still have time, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s only a little after eleven and Shiro doesn’t start until midnight._ He’d double checked Shiro’s hours earlier, asking him via text and claiming it was just out of curiosity about the lifestyle of a night manager.

The john shoved his cock inside Keith, pressing in a few inches before pulling out and pushing in further. The car was parked in the back of the Denny’s, on the other side of the dumpster, but still not _exactly_ out of the way. There was no ‘out of the way’ back here. And though there wasn’t anything behind the Denny’s but the empty lot, that meant there also wasn’t anything to take cover behind.

Except for the dumpster. Which really wasn’t that big. And was close to the back door. _Oh boy._ The john was grunting as he began fucking Keith in earnest. He had a tight grip on Keith’s hip with one hand, the other resting on the car next to Keith’s arm. This fucking guy and his fucking car. _I know he’d fuck it if it was possible_.

Keith sneakily glanced at his watch, anxiously checking the time again. Only a couple minutes since the last time he had. _It’s okay, I still have time… I still have time._

 

* * *

 

It was an hour before Shiro normally left for work when Nyma, the hostess on shift before him and Lance, called him in a panic. She’d sent home one of the staff because it was so slow when the place was suddenly swamped with a high school play’s wrap party. There weren’t enough people and it was absolutely crazy there.

He calmly told her “No, it’s okay I’ll be there soon,” before huffing a big sigh and getting dressed for work and hurrying out. So much for another slow night.

The parking lot was full of cars when Shiro arrived, with the inside of the restaurant just as busy with people. The next thirty or so minutes went by in a quick blur. He went from table to table, taking kids’ orders and overloading a poor overwhelmed Hunk who was the only cook scheduled on for the night. He just had to make it until midnight when Lance would show up and help, and hopefully all the kids would leave soon after that. Wasn’t it a school night?

Shiro finally caught a break at a quarter ‘til when Lance arrived early. Seeing the rush, he wasted no time in getting to work to help. Shiro wanted to use the opportunity to take out the overflowing trash and have a moment of fresh air an  _quiet_. The back door was surrounded by full trash bags, so Shiro picked up as many as he could in one go and pushed the door open.

It was a nice night out tonight. The weather cool but not too cold, clear sky with many stars visible and twinkling, _and people are definitely fucking out here, great._ Shiro sighed, arms straining from the heavy trash bags. _Dammit kids, don’t do this_ here _, come on._

Determined to _not see_ what was going on and just get rid of the trash, Shiro kept his eyes on the ground and bee-lined to the dumpster. Also making a point to be _loud_ and alert his presence. It was only when he slammed open the lid of the dumpster did he hear the kids respond, an overly deep voice muttering expletives and what was probably the rustling of clothes. He heaved the heavy bags into the trash and slammed the lid closed again when his eyes betrayed him and glanced over to where he knew the kids were and _oh._

 _That’s not just some kids_.

‘That’ was Keith, confused and fucked out and bent over a car, scrambling to pull up his pants in wide-eyed terror as he made brief eye-contact with Shiro. Money, falling to the ground around him.

Shiro quickly turned around and pulled open the door with a force, almost slamming it against the building as he stepped inside. He leaned against the door with his heart was pounding and he felt like he was floating as his brain worked in overdrive to try to process what he just saw.

_That was definitely not some kids. That was definitely Keith. Fucking someone behind Denny’s._

_It’s okay, it’s okay._ Keith’s an adult, he can make these decisions. He can fuck someone if he wants. Just. Not behind the Denny’s Shiro works at. Shiro tried to wipe what he saw from his brain, Keith hastily pulling up his pants shirt hiked up above his chest, picking up bills that were thrown on the ground by his companion.

_Picking up money. That he was given. To have sex._

No, he doesn’t know that. Maybe… he just dropped it. _Yeah. Right._ Shiro tried not to panic as he washed his hands of trash smell and headed up to the kitchen to see if there was food that needed to go up front, his body working on automatic.

Keith was an adult, he can do this kind of shit if he wants. _Except that it’s illegal. And dangerous. And and-_ Shiro walked up to the front with an armful of burgers and some pancakes and ignoring Lance who was trying to get his attention.

“Hey Sh- Hey! Come on, I know you heard me, man!”

Shiro continued walking, still trying to erase the images in his brain, “Just a sec, buddy.” He dropped off the plates to their tables, only making a few mistakes (he handed them all off to the wrong people, but who’s keeping track). He turned around to respond to Lance-

Lance who was standing with Keith.

Keith looked small, ridiculous as he was barely shorter than Lance, but it was the raw vulnerable look on his face that did it. He rarely openly showed this much emotion, but it looked like he was barely containing any of it as he fidgeted. His shoulders were raised in a defensive position, and he looked disheveled. _Which, of course he was he was being fucked outside a few moments ago-_

_God, I can’t deal with this right now._

The way Keith was looking at him though, Shiro couldn’t just run away from this. He couldn’t just hide with the excuse of work. Shiro knew Keith well enough to know he was probably thinking worst-case scenario with Shiro. Which. Shiro didn’t like this situation but he also didn’t know _what the fuck to do_ about this.

_What if he’s the one living out of the car out back?_

Nope. No. Not opening that can right now.

Shiro made his way over to the two. Lance, in his blissful ignorance, waggled his eyebrows at Shiro and left to help another table. Leaving Shiro alone with Keith. He looked at Keith, who was avoiding looking at Shiro, arms crossed and biting his cheek nervously. Shiro’s heart hurt at what Keith must be thinking right now. But he also didn’t have the time for this.

“Um, we’re really swamped right now, but, I don’t know. If you want to find an empty table somewhere I can bring you a coffee.”

Keith nodded, still not quite looking at Shiro. He walked away to find a table and Shiro wanted to talk to him right _now_ , but Lance was coming over to him motioning to some tables that needed attention.

\---------

Apparently it was a short week on top of being a cast party, so basically being Friday for these kids meant they had no need to leave at any decent time. It was about an hour later when people finally started trickling out and it finally slowed down enough where Lance convinced Shiro he’d be okay for a few minutes. Shiro took a big breath and built up his courage. He’d finally stopped seeing fucked-out Keith in his mind (and Keith being bent over a car, Keith’s moaning that _he’d most definitely heard_ ) and was ready to see him.

Keith was seated in a tucked away booth, the one farthest away from the big throng of people. He had a coffee and an empty plate that had been pancakes and eggs, and was fiddling with his phone. Nerves bubbled in Shiro’s chest that he tried to tamp down. He had a _plan_.

Shiro sat down in the seat across from Keith, surprising him into looking up from his phone, “Hey, sorry about that, we’ve been absolutely slammed since eleven. I had to come in early to help out, it’s been crazy.”

Keith put down his phone, choosing to fidget with his half-full cup of coffee, “No, it’s- you’re fine.” He shifted in his seat and Shiro tried not to think about _why_. Keith looked like he was about to say something but Shiro beat him to the punch. He had a plan.

“So we’re coming up on spring break soon and Lance needs some time off before-hand for finals, he’s going to the community college here y’know, and we’re getting to that time of year when it’s more busy so. I mean, if you want, we’d need some extra help around here, just in these late shifts, if you want. I can get you an application?”

Shiro took a moment to breathe, realizing he’d kinda said his piece all in one breath. Keith looked taken aback, this probably wasn’t what he was expecting. So Shiro went on, “It’d be super part-time, I have a bit of schedule swapping I have to do anyway, so you won’t have to be here for the whole shift. Probably just a few hours at a time, minimum wage, if you want.”

Keith shifted his elbows on the table, cupping his hands around his mug, clearly unsure what to do with himself. He looked around at the kids still there before looking back to Shiro, though not quite meeting his eyes, “Sorry, what’s this a job for?”

Shiro blanked, scratching the back of his neck, “Oh, yeah I guess I forgot that part, haha. Just busboy duties really, you won’t have to deal with people very much. Cleaning tables and doing dishes, maybe help deliver food if we get slammed like today. Pretty basic stuff.”

Keith nodded, avoiding Shiro’s eyes as he thought. He looked so closed off, and as much as Shiro didn’t like it he couldn’t blame him.

He tried not to look too hopeful while Keith thought about his offer, taking a drink of his coffee. “I, uh, sure. I mean, why not?”

Shiro beamed, a bit relieved, “Awesome, cool! I can give you an application in a sec, mostly for official-ness. Officiality. For, yeah.”

Keith smiled back at him, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was still a very big elephant on the table in front of them and Keith was probably very unsure how to navigate around it. Shiro brought his hands together under the table, trying not to look as awkward as he felt, “So, um, about what I saw…”

Keith tensed, staring at Shiro with a guarded expression and waited for him to continue, “I’m not here to judge or anything but just… don’t do that here, please? I know this place is a bit of a shit-hole, but it’s still a family establishment.”

Shiro steeled himself but Keith just nodded, actually looking a bit relieved if still a little sick to his stomach. He must have been expecting worse. Shiro gave Keith a small smile, nodded to him and started scooting out of the booth when he remembered, “Oh, we still on to hang out tomorrow? I usually sleep in until three or four in the afternoon, but I can text you when I’m up and out of the shower?”

Keith nodded, face lighting up, “Oh, yeah! If you’re still down. Just text me when you’re good, I can come over to your place, if you still wanna hang there?”

“Yeah! I’ll order a pizza and we can do movies and beer. Ah, sorry, I gotta go, but I’ll text you around four or five-ish. See you later, Keith!”

The crowd of people began to dwindle into nothing after another hour, and after that it was as quiet as usual. It felt strange that only a couple hours ago, Shiro had interrupted Keith getting fucked behind the dumpster. He was still reeling, still unsure how exactly to feel about it. Was he actually selling himself? He was only nineteen, how long had he been doing it? Why did he start doing it?

Shiro would just… have to talk to him about it, as much as the idea pained him. He’d always wanted the best for Keith and… this wasn’t that.

 _I know I shouldn’t judge but… I just… He’s so smart and bright, why_ this, _of all things?_ _How bad had these past few years been to Keith?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr!](http://notakeithblog.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god I’m so sorry for the wait on this chapter, it was like pulling teeth and tHEN I got a new job so I’ve had less time to work on it. Also 10 pts to whoever catches the dragon age reference

Keith woke up at his usual time to go to the gym. Today he was going to hang out with Shiro, outside of the Denny’s, for the first time in _years_. He was buzzing with equal parts excitement and nerves knowing Shiro would want to talk to Keith about what he saw that night in the parking lot. Keith was thankful that he didn’t ask about it last night at the Denny’s but he might once they were in a more private setting. If Keith told Shiro about his hustling, then he’d end up telling him about his living situation, and that was too much pity and shame than he wanted to deal with _ever_.

Then again… maybe having everything out on the table with Shiro would be better. Despite the gremlins in his head telling him Shiro would cast him away with a disgusted look, Keith _knew_ that wasn’t who Shiro was. Though Keith still didn’t want his pity or charity. His situation wasn’t ideal, but Keith was _fine_ and he could take care of himself. Keith didn’t need someone he thought he’d never see again coming into his life to try to save him. _If_ that’s even what Shiro would do.

Pidge was at the front desk of the gym as usual when Keith entered. They were distracted with some kind of handheld game, looking up at Keith to nod a greeting before smashing away aggressively at buttons. Keith hesitated outside of the locker room for a moment and wondered, “Hey Pidge, did you know that Shiro’s been in town for a while now?”

Pidge grimaced at their game, probably not doing so well, before looking up at Keith again, “Oh, um. Yeah, Matt said something about that a bit ago. He was bummed they weren’t going to be able to graduate together like they planned. Haven’t seen him though. Mom keeps trying to rope him into family dinners, but I think he’s been too busy. Or moping.”

Keith nodded, of course Pidge would have known and of course they would have had no reason to tell him. “Ah, cool. Just got a surprise when I was at the Denny’s. If you ever wanna bother him, he works night shifts there,” Keith said with a wink, walking towards the locker rooms.

“Crazy, that’s where a couple of my friends work! So you ah, _ran_ into him there then?” Pidge called after him.

Keith turned to look at Pidge who was making a weird face and wagging their eyebrows at him. He crossed his arms, guard going up. Was Pidge trying to _imply_ something? “Yes, I did.” Keith shifted his backpack and jutted a hip out while Pidge took a drink of their large coffee, keeping their conspiratory mask on as they stared at him.

“You guys were pretty close in high school, or at least _you_ always seemed attached to _his_ hip. Just like a little puppy on a leash,” Pidge paused with their coffee for a moment before their eyes widened, “Oh my god, _puppy!_ I didn’t even intend the pun! That’s how genius I am, thank you, I’ll be here all week.”

Keith gave them his most unimpressed look, imparting as much “ _what the fuck are you talking about_ ” as he could. Pidge continued to laugh- no- _cackle evilly_ as he threw open the locker room door and ignored them. “Oh, come on, ‘puppy’, ‘cause you’re a werewolf and- You know what, nevermind my genius is wasted on a pleb like you.”

“Do you treat all the gym’s patrons this way?” Keith was getting more and more defensive, but he didn’t want to just back down. Did Pidge somehow _know_? Or were they just being an ass? His crush couldn’t have been that well known, could it?

“Aw, come on it’s ‘ _friendly ribbing_ ’. I remember Matt complaining about your, and I quote, ‘puppy-dog eyes’ on at _least_ one occasion,” Pidge spoke, a laugh in their voice. Keith swallowed and kept his face guarded. Did Matt really say that? Had he been that obvious? Did Matt actually find him annoying and only put up with him ‘cause Shiro did? “Personally, I don’t really know what you see in the guy. I mean, Shiro’s practically the brother I never knew I had.”

“You _have_ a brother, Pidge. And there were no ‘puppy eyes’, or whatever.” Keith shifted his backpack again and rested his hand on the handle of the locker room door. “He was like a brother to me, okay? And unless you had a _point_ , I’d like to go have my shower.”

Keith aggressively pulled open the door again, slamming it against the wall as he heard Pidge yell out “Learn to take a joke, man!” He gave them the finger before the door closed heavily on its own.

The locker room was empty, the silence a relief after Pidge’s grating voice. They really hadn’t changed since they were just Matt’s annoying little kid sibling. Especially the annoying part. Pidge was nice enough but, Keith just never cared for people that poked fun at him all the time, no matter how friendly. No surprise they’re friends with Lance.

Keith grimaced at the thought of being around both of them at the same time.

Keith relaxed as he finally got into the shower,  the hot water helped loosen the tense muscles in his back. He rubbed his bar of soap over his back and arms, he was so tense all the time now. How was he going to handle tonight? What if Shiro _did_ have a bad reaction to learning Keith was hustling? What if he…

_What if he wants to buy you for the night?_

Keith’s brain betrayed him. His body did too, he could immediately feel himself getting wet, his dick throbbing in interest. Shiro _wouldn’t,_ of course.

_I know… but what if he wanted to? What if he threw me onto the couch and fucked me raw, pulled my hair and called me a good little whore, throwing cash on my spent, come-covered body-_

Nope, no not doing that now. Nope. Keith turned the water temperature down, frustrated that his body reacted so strongly so _quickly_. He hated not having control over his reactions. Determined to ignore the arousal pooling in his stomach Keith instead soaped up his hair. He let the cool water wash over his body and chill the heat running through him, pushing down any thoughts of Shiro.

He had to stop thinking like this, had to stop entertaining these thoughts and fantasies now that Shiro was back in his life. It had been manageable to pine for Shiro after he’d left, but before then it’d been torture. He wasn’t going to do that to himself again.

Keith huffed and turned the shower off, standing cold and wet in the locker room. He’d have to find something to distract him while he waited for Shiro to wake up.

 

—————

 

It was a little after five when Shiro finally texted him.

_“Finally awake and mostly a human._  
_Im going to go pick up some beers, but thatll take about 10 minutes._ _  
_ Do you need me to pick you up?”

_“No thx I have a car, I’ll see you in about 15”_

Keith was sitting on the hood of his car at one of his usual haunts, a so-small-it’s-barely-a-park that no one ever visited at the edge of town. Nerves fluttered in his chest again as he hopped down and got into his car.

_Get yourself together. Whatever worst-case scenario we’ve made up is definitely worse than whatever’s actually going to happen. Probably._

Keith was a great self-motivational speaker.

It was really only a ten-minute drive to Shiro’s apartment complex but Keith took a long way there to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. Keith pulled into the guest parking lot, looking around for Shiro’s building. He’d been to this complex before, one of the first men he went home with lived in one of the buildings.

It hadn’t been a good experience, but considering he got into a car with a stranger to go to his house while _drunk_ it could have gone much, much worse. It was just one of many learning experiences for Keith. Then, he was too naive to have rules and the spine to enforce them, as well as being too drunk to put up much of a fight anyway. Shame and disgust pooled in Keith’s stomach as he wondered if that man still lived here.

Shiro buzzed Keith into the building but when he arrived at Shiro’s door he had to force himself to knock, knowing he could easily spend ten minutes standing outside the door working up the courage. Shiro opened the door after a moment and oh boy did he look much better out of his dingy Denny’s uniform and in jeans and a v-neck.

“Hey, Keith! Come on in, just pardon the mess, I woke up a bit later than I meant to.” Shiro had such a kind, charming smile on his face as he waved Keith in and Keith just wanted to punch him he was so attractive.

Keith stepped in and nodded, looking around at the “mess” and scoffed, “Gee, I don’t know, Shiro, I think I have higher standards than this. I might have to go somewhere where the butler sanitized everything, this is just a sty,” Keith smirked and waved his hand around Shiro’s sparse apartment, leaning against the wall to take off his shoes.

Shiro chuckled, holding his hands up conceding to Keith’s teasing. Keith looked around the small, open living room. It was a little cluttered, but still fairly empty. The living room had only a small IKEA couch and coffee table, a decently sized TV, and some cardboard boxes working as shelves. It was backed onto the small kitchen and what would be a small dining room if it had a table instead of just boxes.

Shiro watched him, answering the question Keith didn’t ask, “When I came back from college I didn’t really have any furniture, most of it still at my grandfather’s. Didn’t really see much point in moving it all over here, and I just haven’t had the time or money to really fill this place up. Haven’t really had the need, honestly.”

Keith nodded and looked around as Shiro continued, “Bathroom’s right in that hall, on the right and my room’s the door across from that. Want a beer?”

Keith turned to Shiro, smiled and nodded. Shiro pulled two cans out of the fridge, offering one to Keith who huffed a small laugh at the label, “Still drinking the same beer?”

Shiro looked a little sheepish, falling for Keith’s teasing easily. “Not everything has to change with time.”

Keith didn’t know what to do with that, instead popping open his beer and tossing back a drink. Shiro did always have good taste in beer. They moved to the couch, really the only place for them to sit in the apartment, and picked up light conversation. Shiro motioned next to the coffee table to an open box with some dvds in it, explaining that he hasn’t seen any of them in a while and isn’t picky.

Keith looked inside, picking around as Shiro and him talked. He learned that Shiro mostly spends his free time at his grandfather’s house or at the gym working-out (“a good distraction,” he says). Shiro also occasionally goes out for drinks with (ugh) Lance, and Hunk, one of the line cooks working the same shifts as them.

He mentions the Holts, how he’d run into them at the grocery store on occasion. He talks about how he feels bad for blowing off the Holts every time they invite him over for dinner because he feels a bit like a failure for having to leave school and give up his and Matt’s hopes of graduating together. He also hasn’t seen Matt since he left either.

“And I know- _I know_ it’s silly. I didn’t drop out, but… It just feels like a failure. I don't know. Honestly… I kind of feel like I was waiting for an excuse to leave. Not because I didn’t like it there or anything…” Shiro trailed off, struggling to voice his thoughts. Keith wondered the last time he’d been able to vent like this to someone, _who_ he could have vented to.

“It just didn't feel like it was right. Somehow.” Shiro took a drink of his beer, signaling he was done speaking for now. Keith looked back down at the box of movies blankly, thinking.

“It’s not silly, Shiro. I… think I understand.” Keith gave Shiro a soft smile and Shiro returned it. Keith picked up one of the dvds on top of the pile, some light-hearted action movie, offering it to Shiro, “I haven’t seen this one before.”

Shiro grabbed it and popped it into the dvd player, looking relieved to be moving on from the conversation he wasn’t sure how to have. He’d always had a hard time opening up when something was bothering him.

_Not everything has to change_.

Judging by the movies in the box, Shiro’s taste in films hadn’t changed much over the years either, a mix of insubstantial action films and depressing looking indie movies that Keith didn’t want to darken the mood with. They continued to drink their beers and open new ones as they watched the movie. It was some dumb heist plot that Keith struggled to pretend to care about but mostly he enjoyed riffing on it with Shiro, as per their usual way of enjoying movies back in high school.

Halfway through the movie Shiro ordered them a pizza. Shiro let Keith choose where to order the pizza from, so he chose one of the nicer delivery places he’d always treat himself to when he had the extra cash. Despite all his nerves about the evening, Shiro had yet to bring up the elephant in the room and Keith was having a great time. It’d been a long time since he’d just hung out with someone and relaxed, and having that person be Shiro just made it even better. They were able to make dumb jokes and commentary as easily and as coordinated as if they’d never lost touch. Keith’s heart clenched at how much he _missed_ this. Not just with Shiro, but with _anyone_ , just letting loose with friends.

Forty minutes later, Shiro’s door buzzed and he got up to ring the delivery guy in. Shiro searched the apartment for his wallet as the pizza guy knocked on the door.

“Can you get that? I forgot where I put my wallet,” Shiro called and Keith headed over to the door and pulled it open, freezing in startled terror.

“Two large pizzas and- o-oh,” The pizza guy trailed off, stopping himself from pulling the pizzas out of the warm bag. Well, the night _had_ been going too well. It was only a matter of time for one of the many shoes to drop.

It was one of Keith’s regulars. Semi-regulars. And definitely _not_ one of his favorites. The kind of guy that was really pushy and liked to fetishize Keith’s body in a way that made his stomach turn.

The guy looked as surprised as Keith. Keith grabbed the pizzas from the guy’s hands, giving him a look pleading, demanding to _have some fucking discretion please_. He’d made it this far into his visit with Shiro without talking about his _job_ and he wasn’t going to let some greasy, nameless john delivering their pizza screw everything up.

Keith turned around with the pizzas in hand, scowl still on his face, to Shiro standing right behind him. Confusion quickly flashed in Shiro’s eyes, not understanding why someone carrying two large wood-fired pizzas would look so sour. Keith shoved the pizzas against Shiro’s chest and grabbed his wallet from his hands.

“Here, I got this Shiro,” Keith said curtly and Shiro nodded, still a little confused, and turned to take the pizzas to his small kitchen. Keith turned back around to face the more-than-awkward looking pizza man and filed through Shiro’s wallet to pull out a twenty and a ten. The man opened his mouth as if to say something but Keith just shoved the money into his chest, mumbled a “keep the change” (definitely _not_ something this man had done to him before) and aggressively closed the door. That guy didn’t deserve even the meager tip Keith left him.

Keith turned around to face Shiro in the kitchen, looking at him over opened, steaming pizza boxes with a raised eyebrow. Keith just shrugged and set Shiro’s wallet down on the kitchen counter. Thankfully, Shiro didn’t ask about his odd behavior, but the run-in soured Keith’s mood. He just wanted to hang out with Shiro and have things be like they used to be, but it seemed he couldn’t do _anything_ without his bad decisions pressing their grubby faces against the metaphorical glass.

They sat back down on the couch with pizzas and new cans of beer and resumed the movie. In silence. Keith knew it was mostly because they were eating, but he couldn’t help feel that he’d ruined the mood of the evening. _Guess I’m never ordering from that pizza place again. Fuck, it’s such good pizza._

Finally, the movie ended and Shiro got up to take the dvd out and looked to Keith to pick the next movie. Keith just grabbed the first movie on the stack in the box and tossed it to him, not even looking at the title. Shiro barely looked at it before popping it in and grabbing them more pizza before starting it.

Five minutes into the movie Shiro spoke up, “So did that pizza guy spit on our pizza or something?” Keith paused in his chewing, knowing exactly what Shiro was wanting to get at but he wasn't going to make it easy for him.

“Um, I don’t know? If did, I wouldn’t be eating it, don’tcha think?” Keith looked at Shiro who was staring down at his pizza. If Shiro wanted to ask what Keith’s deal was, he’d have to come right out and do it.

Maybe Keith was just being paranoid, but it felt like Shiro knew why Keith had acted the way he did, “Old acquaintance or something?”

Keith shrugged.

“You just seemed a little rude to him… for no reason.” Shiro continued and Keith shrugged again. Shiro dropped the subject and they continued eating and watching the new movie in silence.

Turns out the movie was some historical/drama/romance (that Keith didn’t think Shiro was normally into) about back when things were much more antagonistic between human and inhuman races. It was specifically a romance about a human girl and a werewolf falling in love “despite the odds”. Keith did his best to not look too much into why Shiro would have such a movie.

“Didn’t think you normally liked this kind of shlock, Shiro,” Keith teased.

Shiro chuckled nervously, “Listen, it’s called having _range_.”

Mood lightened and pizza finished, they were able to start joking and riffing again, though not as much since the tone of the movie didn’t really lend to immature joking and neither of them felt comfortable in mocking it.

About halfway through the movie, there was an emotional, “tasteful” sex scene between the werewolf and human lovers. Keith wanted to be able to make fun of the validity of it, seeing as the werewolf character was _clearly_ played by a human actor, but found he was having a hard time thinking of anything clever to say that wouldn’t be obvious deflecting.

_Dammit I’m not a teenager anymore, I’m_ not _going to be affected by a dumb sex scene in a movie with my stupid crush sitting next to me._ The ridiculousness of the situation was not lost on Keith but he couldn’t help feel a little flushed. His damn body had been much too responsive lately, especially if his dick was twitching at the hardly erotic scene before him.

Keith’s traitorous body made him flick his eyes over to Shiro, careful to be subtle. If Shiro was at all affected by the scene he did a good job of hiding it, though his body language was stiff and that might have been a blush on his cheeks. Maybe. The scene finally passed, though Keith felt it had gone on _too long_. Keith opened himself a new beer, the sound comically loud after their awkward silence.

After the movie’s bittersweet ending they decided to take a break from movies. It was getting late but Keith didn’t want to end the night just yet. Shiro cut through his thoughts, “Hey, remember when we used to stargaze over at the old football field? I don’t know when you wanted to head out, but if you want, the sky’s supposed to be clear tonight. We could take a few beers and see if we can see anything?”

 

* * *

 

Shiro was nervous at his own suggestion. Was it too transparent? To go stargazing together? He stamped his anxieties down, they used to do it all the time back in high school. Often with Matt there too but, same difference.

Keith looked surprised at the suggestion but gave him a devilish smirk and a small laugh, “Didn’t we almost get arrested last time we did that?”

Shiro had completely forgotten about that, “Haha, we’ll just have to not be rambunctious, drunk teenagers this time.” He tried not to look too hopeful, but he needn’t have worried.

Keith stood up, stretched and put his hands on his hips, “As long as we can take your car, mine’s a bit of a mess.”

The drive to the high school football field was only a few minutes and took Shiro and Keith through many familiar streets of their youth. It almost felt like they were going back in time, especially when they ended up at the parking lot of the football field. It was empty and dark, only a few lights flickering and buzzing in the quiet night. The moon overhead was half full, giving a little light for Shiro and Keith as they made their way across the turf field.

They stopped at what was approximately the center of the field, concrete stands on one side of them and empty field on the other. Houses and trees were visible in the distance and, save for the buzzing of night bugs, it was a quiet night.

Shiro and Keith sat in silence with their heads tipped back to stare at the sky. It was clear out and many stars were visible, twinkling through the atmosphere. Keith let out a sigh beside Shiro and flopped onto his back, laying down with his arms folded behind his head, a barely-there smile on his lips.

Shiro couldn’t think of anywhere he would rather be at this moment. Sitting next to one of the people he cared most about with the entire universe laid out before them. He looked at Keith where he laid, his eyes now lidded with what was probably exhaustion, his lips slightly parted. Shiro looked back to the stars.

Affection and worry for Keith combined in his stomach. When they’d left his apartment and gone to his car, Shiro had seen what he knew now to be Keith’s car in the parking lot. The same one he’d seen time and time again in the empty lot behind his work. He couldn’t help but feel irrationally guilty at Keith’s situation, that maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way he did if he never left.

Which didn’t help things, he knew that. Blaming himself did Keith no favors, and he knew Keith well enough to know he hated being pitied, Shiro was the same way. He’d have to tread carefully if he wanted to let Keith know he knew about his situation. And the last thing he wanted was to ruin their friendship, again, not when he’d just gotten it back.

Still, he couldn’t just continue on _not_ talking about the whole situation. He needed Keith to know he wanted to help… but how best to tell him?

“Oh, look at that!” Startled, Shiro looked at Keith who had his hand stretched out, pointing to something. Shiro followed the line of his finger, straining his eyes to see what Keith did. After a moment, he saw it: what looked like a dim star except for its movement in a straight line across the sky.

“A satellite,” Keith said, putting his hand back under his head. Shiro’s heart clenched, god he cares so much for this person. They both watched the satellite’s movement in the sky, distant and alone it traveled, making its way around the planet.

Shiro sighed, “A lot’s changed since we last did this, huh?” It was cheesy but Shiro had to open the conversation up somehow. Keith kept his face aimed at the sky, expression guarded.

“Yeah…” Keith sighed loudly and sat up, legs crossed with his hands in his lap as he fiddled with them. “Look, I… I know you wanna talk about… what you saw and stuff, but there’s really not much to say. Not much I wanna add to what you’ve probably already figured out.”

“What do you think I’ve figured out?” Shiro didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings between them, if Keith had already decided how Shiro was going to react in his head, then he had to know.

Keith sighed again, “That I’m, I’m a- I sell myself.” Keith stumbled over his words and Shiro’s heart clenched. “That that’s all I can do to provide for myself, and I’m a huge disappointment for making these choices and I did this to myself.”

“Keith that’s- no-” Anger coiled in Shiro, he didn’t like hearing Keith talk about himself like this.

Keith scowled and looked at Shiro, interrupting him, “‘No’ what? You weren’t there, you don’t know what happened. I coulda worked harder in school, coulda worked harder to pull myself outta this- this place, but I didn’t. I barely graduated high school, Shiro, and I left the system as soon as I could. With no money, no support, no source of income besides the gross men that wanted to fuck a barely-legal kid.”

Keith looked away from Shiro as more guilt and anger flooded him, but he stayed quiet as Keith continued. “No one did this to me, I made all those bad decisions on my own.” Keith’s anger seemed to be simmering to something sadder.

“Are you-,” Shiro started and Keith looked over at him, face on the brink of crumbling, “Are you homeless, Keith?” He winced internally at the bluntness of his question, but he didn’t want to dance around anything.

Keith looked down at his lap and nodded, “Yup,” he said in a voice that said he blamed himself for that too. Shiro steadied himself, trying to breathe in a subtle, shuddering breath. He had so many questions, but none of them seemed appropriate, so he stayed quiet. The silence was heavy between them, even the night bugs were quiet.

Shiro looked back at Keith, he was facing away from him and judging by the tightness in his shoulders, he was holding back tears. Keith had always been quick to self shame and guilt and time had only seemed to make that worse.

Shiro sighed, “I suppose if I offered you to sleep on my couch, you wouldn’t take it?”

Keith shook his head, still not looking at him. The need to take care of him was overwhelming, but Shiro couldn’t force Keith to take his charity. There was only one thing he could do, “Can you just promise me that… you’ll at least consider asking me for help when you really need it?”

 

Keith was still for a long moment, still silent, before slowly nodding. Shiro laid back to look at the stars, hands behind his head. “I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not concerned about you, Keith, ‘cause I am. But I’m not here to lecture you or anything. I know how tough you are, and I know you won't take shit from anyone. I trust you to take care of yourself. But you are my friend,” Shiro turned his head to look at Keith, still looking away from him, but shoulders considerably less tensed.

 

“And as my friend, I want to be able to help you when you need it. And this doesn’t like… change how I see you, my opinion of you.” Shiro continued as Keith laid back too, his face was still obscured from view. Shiro looked back at the sky. He’d said his piece, it was Keith’s turn to figure out what to do with it.

 

Finally, Keith’s soft voice broke the silence, sounding very much like he’d stifled some tears, “Is Lance as annoying to work with as he is to be waited on by?”

 

Shiro laughed a little too much at that, glad that he hadn’t lost Keith and he’d gotten his message across. Things were going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also tru story, my best friend once almost got in trouble with the cops for stargazing in the high school football field.  
> Find me on [tumblr!](http://notakeithblog.tumblr.com/)


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